Power of a Thousand Spirits
by Ogro
Summary: The Avatar is healed, and the GAang resumes their journey. Aang still has to master the other three elements to defeat Fire Lord Ozai. What will happen along the way? [Zutara] [Taang] & Many more. Starts where Book2 left off. Story is better than summary.
1. Departing from Ba Sing Se

_Water._

_Earth._

_Fire._

_Air._

_My Grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace, when the Avatar has balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. That all changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar could master all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless Firebenders. But when the world needed him most... he vanished. _

_A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe. Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads, and the cycle is broken._

_But I haven't lost hope._

_I still believe... that someday, the Avatar will return to save the world._

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 1: Departing from Ba Sing Se_

"So... what will we do now?" Sokka asked his sister. Katara sighed wearily.

_So much has happened..._

"I don't know. We'll ask Aang when he wakes up."

"When's that gonna be?"

"I don't know, Sokka!" Katara was angry. Not only because of Azula's coup, but that Zuko betrayed them. She thought he was changing. Everything that happened, every fight they've been in... It was all for nothing. Katara knew he had it in him to change. Ever since the Fire Prince rescued Aang from Admiral Zhao, she thought he was going through a transformation. He even had Iroh with him to guide him along the way. Well, at least Iroh wasn't _encouraging _him to be evil.

So naturally, Katara thought she had him in the crystal catacombs. She finally got him to open up, at least a little bit. The waterbender was ready to trust him. But instead... he betrayed her.

_Damn it! Why is this bothering me? Why am I expecting so much of a firebender?_

_But no more_. She promised to herself never to trust a firebender again.

"Look, he's stirring," the normally quiet Earth King said to the siblings. Katara looked up. She almost forgot the Ba Sing Se King was with them. The man was so plain and he looked so frail. He couldn't come with the benders on their adventures. He had to stay out of danger.

The Avatar opened his eyes slowly, taking in the faces of those around him. As soon as he realized the Earth King was there, he sat up swiftly. "Ba Sing Se! It's taken over by Azula!"

"Calm down Twinkletoes, we know," Toph said. The blind earthbender was leaning back casually, arms behind her head and her leg propped up.

"Are you feeling better, Aang?" Katara asked tiredly. The airbender seemed to remember what happened.

"Yeah... it's perfectly healed. Thanks, Katara." He smiled up at her.

"So what are we gonna do with him?" Sokka asked them, gesturing to the Earth King.

"My name is Kuei!"

"Yeah, yeah. I say we take back Ba Sing Se," Toph said, making a fist. Kuei huffed at her, and crossed his arms and looked away.

"What about Omashu? Ba Sing Se will be too tough for us now, without enough troops," Sokka said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, the only safe place we can go to right now is the North Pole. I say we go there. Azula will never expect it," Katara contributed. _We'll also be far from Zuko..._

"No, we can't do any of those yet. I haven't mastered the Avatar State. We should go back to Guru Pathik. Just think... Kuei will be safe there!"

"Who's that?" Kuei asked, confused. He turned back to the conversation.

"Okay Appa, to the Eastern Air Temple! Yip, yip!" the Avatar said gleefully, grabbing the Air Bison's reins. Katara watched the think walls of Ba Sing Se pass by underneath them. The remains of the gigantic drill were not removed yet.

"Wait a minute, guys! Katara, we have to warn Dad. He doesn't know the Fire Nation took over the capital!" Sokka shouted, apparently just remembering their father. Katara sighed. They had so much to do still...

_And I __**will **__get back at you, Zuko._

* * *

The Fire Prince paced through his new bedroom angrily. A hurricane of doubt and confusion spun through his head. He betrayed his beloved Uncle. The man that guided him, protected him, accompanied him, and loved him was now in jail. All because of him.

Zuko sat down on his bed. Sure, his father finally accepted him again and Azula didn't refer to him as weak. But the only person he trusted in this whole palace was kept in the dungeons. Iroh was captured because he protected the Avatar and the waterbender peasant from him and Azula. For the first time, the Dragon of the West turned his flames on Zuko.

Now, Azula wanted to publicly announce that the Fire Nation conquered the "impenetrable city." And she wanted Zuko alongside her as she did this. The firebender heard a knock on his door. When he answered it, he was surprised to see Mai.

"It's time," was all she said. She turned and left, and Zuko followed. The depressed teen led him to the front door of the Palace, where Azula was waiting. She smirked at him, while Ty Lee gave Mai some kind of look. Zuko ignored them.

"Come on, Zuzu. Time to make our announcement," Azula said maliciously. Mai and Ty Lee opened up the doors, and they were met by confused shouts of the crowd outside. All of the people of Ba Sing Se were in the Upper Ring, peasants, nobles, and workers. The Dai Li were protectively surrounding the palace.

"People of Ba Sing Se!" Azula's booming voice rang out. "For one hundred years, the Fire Nation has tried to conquer the Earth Kingdom capital. For one hundred years, we were unsuccessful. But I have done it. Your precious Earth King was a traitor. The Dai Li realized this and helped me take him off of the throne. Now, Ba Sing Se belongs to Lord Ozai!"

Zuko was surprised at the crowd's reaction. Much of the middle class was cheering, while the peasants were angry. They were talking amongst themselves, uneasy about the whole thing. Most of the nobles didn't care. It didn't matter who controlled the Earth Kingdom to them, as long as they got their money. _Greedy bastards, _Zuko seethed.

"My brother and I will now be the rulers of this city. The Earth Kingdom will fall, and the hundred-year war will end!"

"You crazy witch!" Azula turned to look at a fat, angry peasant with a look of rage on his face. She smirked cruelly. "We'll never bow down to you! The Earth Kingdom will never fall! We will unite and throw you off the throne, and take back what's ours! Our King would never betray us!"

"Dai Li, go get him and bring him up here for me," Azula said, speaking in her normal tone. The strong earthbenders complied, forcefully using their fists of stone to drag him to the front of the palace.

"Everyone, look closely at what happens to anyone who speaks out against me," Azula shouted to all the people. The ruthless bender turned to the peasant, and closed her eyes. A bright, blue flame ignited in her hand, and she threw it at him. He threw his arms in front of his face protectively, but that did not work. Zuko flinched when his life ended. Mai and Ty Lee looked away, not wanting to see the man burn. Gasps rang out through the crowd, and Azula smiled widely, knowing that nobody would _dare _to try and take her off of her seat of power.

_Interesting, _Zuko thought, seeing Mai and Ty Lee's reactions.

"Now, bow down to Princess Azula and her brother, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation!" Ty Lee yelled happily, forgetting about the man's death. Everyone, even the nobles, fell to their knees and groveled on the ground for mercy. Zuko thought it was impossible, but Azula's smirk grew even wider.

With a pang of guilt, Zuko saw the last person to go to the ground. It was a peasant girl, who looked at him with disbelief and horror. A few moments later, she was down on the ground like everyone else. Jin saw him. She knew what monster he really was...

Her look reminded him of the waterbending peasant, when she saw that he fought against the Avatar. Jin had the same disbelief, the same anger, and the same sadness in her eyes. What was he doing? Why was he feeling this? He should've been happy. He regained his honor, in his father's eyes at least. The Earth Kingdom capital has fallen. The war was almost over. Victory was in the Fire Nation's eyes.

Yet it all felt wrong. His Uncle taught him that being merciless, cruel, and greedy was wrong. Then it hit the Fire Prince like a brick wall. _Zuko _was wrong.

He always knew this, ever since he was a child. He was more compassionate than Azula. He did not enjoy killing like Azula. He was not favored by their father like Azula. He was a screw-up, and Azula was not. He thought this was wrong.

But now it had a new meaning. He realized that everything his Uncle taught him about not being like Azula was just for that—so he wouldn't be like his witch of a sister. He was meant to be different, and he just threw it away. The way he was as a child... was _right. _Right and wrong. He knew the difference now. It all made sense.

And now he felt horrible for choosing the wrong choice. He had a chance to be right. The waterbender peasant could have healed his scar, and take away the last remnants of his "wrong" life. Zuko trudged back to his room, knowing once again that he screwed up.

Azula followed him. "What's wrong, Zuzu? Are you not happy?" She was faking compassion.

"I'm going to my room," Zuko responded. His sister turned around as he shut the door, walking back to the throne room.

"Weakling," she muttered.

* * *

Suki grit her teeth as she literally limped to the village below them. The other Kyoshi Warriors in her group were behind her, in similar conditions. One of them knew basic healing with herbs, so she nursed their wounds at least a little bit. It took them all night to get to the village from where the Fire Nation Princess and her two accomplices attacked them. Luckily, they all survived, but three of them woke up without wearing any armor. Fortunately, Suki had hers.

The tiny village was nestled between forested hills. The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors got down on her hands and knees to climb down the rocky slope. A little girl outside of the village spotted them, yelling for help and pointing at them. Suki felt herself lose consciousness at the sight of villagers running towards them.

z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z

Suki woke up, feeling a warm, damp cloth across her forehead. She weakly opened her eyes, and she saw an old woman tending to her wounds. She wore a glowing glove of water on her hand. She was a waterbender healer. Suki groaned when all the pain came back to her.

"Tell me where it hurts so I can find it," the woman said.

She noticed that the biggest wound, a gash in her stomach, was healed. So were the cuts on her arms and legs, and the burns all over her body. "Unh... just my shoulders and legs."

She remembered a girl garbed in pink jabbed at her shoulders, hips, neck, and legs, anything that she could get her hands on. Now, Suki felt a painful stiffness in those areas.

"Ah... Your chi was blocked. You lost use of your arms and legs, but it seems that in your trek here, you forced them to work. That is very dangerous," the healer said, scolding her.

"It won't happen again," Suki promised. "How long will it take to heal?" She needed to find Sokka and the Avatar... She wanted to help them find Appa, since she saw him last. She remembered Sokka telling her they were going to Ba Sing Se.

"Mmm... I'd say you're fine now. Just take it easy for a few days. No training! As a Kyoshi Warrior, you need your joints and reflexes working well, Suki," the waterbender said, smiling.

"Oh, thank you. Um..." Suki stated, confused. How did this woman know her name?

"One of your friends told us all about you and how you've been helping in the war," the old lady said kindly. The Kyoshi Warrior nodded. Suki got up and stretched when the woman walked to her kitchen, telling her that she was finished healing her. "You're leaving? That's fine. Go take a walk, but don't forget to come back for food!"

Suki nodded in thanks, and walked outside. Her warrior clothing was still on, but the old healer seemed to have washed off her makeup. It was around noon. Not too far away from her, Suki noticed some of her Kyoshi Warrior friends. The ones that had their clothes stolen were now dressed in elegant kimonos.

"Oh, Suki! You're okay! These people are so nice!" one of them said happily, holding her arms out.

"Nobody stole any of our things," another one said. Suki checked her belt. Both of her golden fans and katana were still there, perfectly fine.

"Where are we?" Suki asked them.

"An Earth Kingdom village called Okamai. They're trying to stay out of the war."

"So what are we doing now, Suki?"

The leader thought for a moment. _She _wanted to find Sokka. _They _wanted to help in the war. "You are all reporting back to the guard station. I am going to help the Avatar."

"What? You're leaving us?"

"Why?"

"Don't question my orders," Suki said. She took her fans off of her belt, and handed them to her second-in-command. "I am relinquishing my duties as a Kyoshi Warrior." The katana was hers personally, and she didn't have to give that back.

"No, Suki. You'll always be one of us. Keep the fans, go do what you need to do," the girl said, refusing to take the golden weapons of the warriors of Kyoshi. Suki smiled, and hugged her friend.

_I'll find you, Sokka..._

* * *

**Author's Note: **How do you like it so far? I was recently reading lots of Avatar stories, and I decided to write one myself. This will be a full novel. Anyway, this is just the introduction. It will get better. I pride myself in my action scenes ).

Please please review! If you have any requests, I'll try to fill them.


	2. A Feeling of Hope

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Avatar. If I did, do you think I'd be writing fanfiction?

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 2: A Feeling of Hope_

Jet opened his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings. It didn't take him long to recognize his own Ba Sing Se apartment. He sat up weakly, grasping his sore back. Then the memories came flooding back to him.

_An earthbender... Pain... the Avatar and his bison... Katara... Some red lights... Lake Laogai..._

The Freedom Fighter moaned, trying to stand up and leave the bleak room. It contained only a single bed, a tiny cabinet, and a cloth covering the door-less entrance into the other room. In there was a basic kitchen and a table. Longshot and Smellerbee were with him...

Using the stone wall as a support, he limped through the doorway. Smellerbee sat at the table eating something while Longshot leaned against the far wall silently.

"Jet!" Smellerbee yelled, looking up. She ran over to him, worry etched on her face. "Get back in bed!"

"How long was I out?" he mumbled.

"About three or four days. Jet, you're in no condition to walk," the girl said, guiding him back to the single bed. He just noticed something.

"Where have you two been sleeping?"

Smellerbee shrugged. "On the floor. It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it... you almost died. You deserve the bed for helping the Avatar."

"Oh... yeah. About that, where are they? What happened while I was unconscious?"

Longshot sighed. "The Avatar found his bison. Everything seemed to be going fine for a little while." Jet looked a little surprised when he spoke. It was a rarity.

"But then the Fire Nation took over. You were right... that kid that helped us was a firebender. The Fire Prince," Smellerbee continued.

"I knew it!" Jet growled, clenching his fists angrily. Smellerbee almost pushed him down on the bed. He was trying to get up.

"Stop it, Jet! That's not all. The Avatar left Ba Sing Se. We saw his bison flying away."

"No way! We have to help them!" Jet attempted to sit up again, but the surprisingly strong girl pushed him back, harder this time.

"Nobody's helping anybody until you're better, Jet," she mumbled. "You almost died back there. The rocks seemed to have almost broken your spine and damaged internal organs. Luckily, there was a doctor around to help us. Now you just need rest."

Jet felt himself getting tired. The pain, forgotten during his outbursts, was coming back rapidly. It hurt. "What will we do after this?"

"It's up to you. You are our leader," the quiet archer said monotonously. Jet lay back in his bed. They could go and find Katara and her friends, but it would be hard to catch up to them with their flight advantage. Once they caught up though, Jet and his two friends would be welcome with the group. He knew this. He felt a sense of accomplishment from gaining Katara's trust back. Trust was a privilege. It was delicate and easy to break. He broke his chances for trust the first time with Katara. But he managed to fix it, as such things as trust can be mended over time. He hoped to never lose it again.

Or they could stop the Fire Nation bastard in the palace. He saw the guy fight, and he was skilled, but he was sure the three of them could take him. All he needed was his Twin Tiger-Head Hook Swords, his prized weapons.

"Think we'd get help if we tried to take the palace back?" Jet whispered to his allies.

Smellerbee shook her head sadly. "The Dai Li are siding with the Fire Nation Prince and Princess. They're practically a whole army."

_Damn, _Jet thought. That ruined his second plan. The three of them could never stop all of the Dai Li and two Fire Nation royals, assuming the Princess was as strong as her brother. The boy was smart enough to know that. He wouldn't rush head first into battles anymore, or think about "sacrificing things for the greater good." Last time, that didn't work. If there was something Jet did know, he learned from his mistakes.

"You guys want to help right? Have an important meaning in the world? We were destined for bigger and better things ever since meeting the Avatar. It is his job to give us hope. Now, it's our turn to help him give hope to the people. We'll fight to the bitter end. Aang, here we come!" Jet said loudly, clenching his fist triumphantly. Longshot and Smellerbee listened eagerly, and responded the same way.

"That's our Jet," the girl said with a smile. Jet smirked. He was known among the Freedom Fighters for his inspirational speeches. Making sure he would stay in bed, Smellerbee and Longshot left the room.

Jet stared up at the bleak ceiling, thinking about how they were going to find the Avatar. There wasn't much they could do to keep up with a flying bison. If only they knew where he was going...

Giving up, Jet's mind wandered to Katara. He wondered if he even had a "thing" for her, since it was obvious back at the Freedom Fighter's hideout that she did. But at the time... Jet wasn't even sure if he liked her back. All he was interested in was getting rid of the Fire Nation soldiers, and he was willing to do whatever possible to accomplish that. He even used Katara to his advantage, because he knew she'd do anything he would ask. But did he like her as much as she liked him? Did she even still like him? His eyelids drooped and he fell asleep quickly, with one thought on his mind...

_Katara..._

* * *

_Stomp. Kick. Stomp. Kick. Stomp. Kick._

He repeated this mantra in his head, slamming his foot against the ground, making a boulder rise. He roundhouse kicked it, sending it into his growing pile of boulders. The earthbender did this for hours—it was his only method of training. He used the trench he dug out himself, still using the spot for training even after the firebenders left their village. It was quiet, and here he wasn't troubled by the problems of daily life.

Lifting another boulder, the earthbender decided to do something different. Holding it steady, he turned around. The boulder hovered inches from his outstretched fist. He spun around three times, and let it fly. The boulder soared high into the air and landed not far away from him. He smiled to himself, and decided to make a game out of it.

He repeated the process, trying to add more height to each boulder thrown into the sky. He knew he was getting better, he was able to bend much longer without getting tired. When he realized this, he felt a sense of accomplishment. He never felt like this much; with mediocre bending skills, he wasn't able to do any powerful moves. There was not a single master earthbender in his village, and even the older men were at the same level he was.

The boy watched one soar higher, and then came up with another idea. As it was falling, he quickly pulled another boulder from the ground and threw it up to the first one. The two rocks clashed together, but with the force behind his bending, he was able to send it higher. He made another game out of this, pulling the second boulder back and constantly keeping the first one in the air, motioning his arms towards the direction he wanted. He enjoyed this game the most. It made him feel stronger.

He started making the boulder soar through the air faster, sending both of them higher and higher in the air. Carelessly, he hit it on the side and it went flying away, landing to the ground a hundred feet away from him. To his surprise, it flew right back at him, and he dodged out of the way.

"Haru! Watch what you're doing!" His father sent the boulder back.

"Sorry, father!" Haru said, bowing respectfully.

The old man laughed. "Let's spar."

Haru smirked and got into a ready position. His father, Tyro, did the same. Haru attacked first, sending a wave of rocks towards his father. Tyro pulled a great slab of stone from the ground and crushed Haru's attack. Haru picked up two boulders from his earlier pile, holding them in front of his fists, the same way he did before. This time, he shot them out with the force of a cannon. He repeated this action, never giving up. While he was kind-hearted, he shared the same trait of all earthbenders—stubbornness.

Tyro used his giant slab as a shield, blocking every flying boulder sent at him. Haru clenched his teeth, beginning to get tired from training. He twisted his feet, encasing them in stone to anchor him in place. He put his arms up into the air and pulled them down forcefully, causing the side of the trench his father was on to collapse, covering the old man completely. Tyro's slab of stone fell to the ground. The rocks that resulted from Haru's attack went flying in all directions. The boy raised his father's slab of stone to defend himself from the attack.

"Good job, son. You beat me again," Tyro said, smiling warmly. Haru smiled back and lowered the stone. "I'm getting too old for this," the old man muttered.

As he was repairing his training area, Haru decided to bring up something that had been plaguing him for months. "Father... I would like to find a master for my earthbending."

Tyro raised an eyebrow at this, but he smiled. "Well, you've got loads of potential. But there are no masters in our village..."

"Well, I hope to travel and find a master. I want to try Ba Sing Se, the capital."

"And travel all alone?"

"Well... yes," Haru stated. "I'm not getting anywhere trying to train myself. I need a full-fledged master. One day, I would like to help in the war efforts."

Tyro sighed. "I knew this day would come. You've wanted to do bigger and better things ever since the Avatar came, I could tell. Well, it's not in my place to stop you. Go ahead, you're old enough to travel now. You'll be reaching adulthood soon."

"Thank you, father," Haru said, bowing gratefully.

"None of that nonsense," Tyro said smiling, holding his arms out. Haru hugged him, glad there was nobody around.

Haru walked to the north, towards the capital of the Earth Kingdom. He brought with him only his Earth Kingdom-style clothing, food rations, money, and his ostrich-horse. As he was riding out, he looked behind him at his home. His mother and father stood there, watching him while his mother cried lightly. He was a little sad to leave home, he had to admit, but he wanted to master his art more than anything.

His first destination was a small village named Funauta. From there, he would board a ferry to a trading port called Bai Bai, and get on another ferry straight to Ba Sing Se. He was prepared to face the dangers of the outside world, or whatever it took to learn earthbending. He was determined and he was stubborn, just like any other earthbender, as he rode his mount in the afternoon sun.

* * *

_This is so frustrating... I can't believe he would do that. Oh, why did I fall for his lies? _

Jin sat in her bedroom, staring at the floor and thinking. She couldn't believe what Li did. _No... His name is _Zuko. _He is firebender scum! _

But she couldn't think like this. She wanted to. She really liked him. But she was devastated by his lies. She kissed the Prince of the Fire Nation! "Mushi" probably wasn't who she thought he was, either. What was wrong with her? Why did she let people lie to her like that?

She was weak. She was gullible. She was _angry. _Normally she wasn't this angry. But he took over her home, the world's only refuge from the Fire Nation. All of the peasants were losing hope. They were now in danger here. The firebenders were ruthless. The people would be offered no mercy. But she was the young girl in this section of the neighborhood, and she lived alone. Everyone would try to help her, and get close, but she didn't want to be saved.

She refused to be the damsel in distress.

She was a peasant, but she didn't want to be weak. She didn't want to be lied to anymore. No, she couldn't stay in Ba Sing Se. She was in danger here. _Everyone _was in danger here. Leaving was her only option.

Jin began to plan out where to go. There were no more free cities. No major ones that would continue to hold up to the Fire Nation's attacks.

_Wait a minute..._

She remembered vaguely hearing about a large city that was known to hold rebels of all kinds. That was where she would go. She would join a rebellion and help stop the Fire Nation once and for all. They took her home, her parents, and her pride. She was reduced to living poor.

Jin shook her head, trying to banish these thoughts of revenge. She wasn't like this. This was uncharacteristic of her. She was normally kind and innocent. But everything was taken away from her... from the boy she thought she loved... But she couldn't love him. "Li" changed her. She decided to now be a fierce, determined girl. She now had a single hope, a single dream to keep her going—the Fire Nation _will _lose their control over the world. Ba Sing Se would be freed, and she would be a part of it.

First, she'd leave the city and head to a trading port, called Bai Bai. The small city had ferries that went almost all over the world. She would take one to Jihen and join a rebellion.

She darted around her small home, gathering anything she'd need for her journey. She gathered food, a blanket, some clothing, and some money, and put it all in a bag that she carried over her shoulder. As she was about to leave her small peasant's home (there was really nothing spectacular about it) she paused. She needed _something _to defend herself with. She was no bender. And then she remembered.

There was a katana that her father used to own, before he died. It was in a large chest at the foot of her bed. She went to it, and opened the lid slowly. She gently lifted the sword, in its sheath, and admired it for a few seconds. It had a shining green hilt with emeralds embedded in it. She slid the sheath off. On the blade was an engraving of a dragon. It was a magnificent creature, with detailed claws and scales and teeth. Its long tail stretched down almost to the hilt.

Jin wasn't always a peasant. Before her mother died, her father went off to the war, using this katana, _Kira-Duragon._ He was killed in a battle, and her mother died shortly after because of a sickness. Bandits raided the noble's home while Jin, a girl of thirteen, watched horrified, safely hidden. After this, there was nothing left. A soldier who returned to the war brought the sword back with him to give it to her mother, but Jin took it with pride.

The problem was, Jin had no idea how to use it. So she just kept it in the chest, where it sat for three years. Jin could not leave it behind. It was her father's prized weapon. The girl put it on her obi, and left her home for the final time. Without looking back, she walked to the "train" station. They would lead her right out to the city's walls, and to the docks, where she would board a ferry headed for Bai Bai. The girl stared at the sky. It was almost evening.

* * *

Katara bended the water from the river around her, forming a small stream. It flowed through the air flawlessly, and she added more streams to it. The water kept circling her faster and faster, while Katara closed her eyes. It was a good concentration exercise that she learned from Master Pakku. She let not a single water droplet hit another. She heard someone clear their throat behind her. She let the water streams go together and form a larger whip-like stream that flowed around her slowly. She turned to the person. It was Toph.

"Hey Sugarqueen, can we talk?"

"Yeah, sure Toph," Katara said, knowing the nickname was used affectionately. "What's wrong?"

"I hate to say it, but after what you told us, I'm kinda worried about the old guy. The torch's uncle." Katara felt a slight drop in her stomach at the mention of Zuko (even his new nickname). But she felt a little guilty about barely giving any thought to Iroh.

"Don't worry about him. Zuko, no matter how heartless he is, wouldn't let Azula kill his own Uncle, even though Azula might not love him. He'll be fine, at least for a little while. We'll be able to bail him out of there in time," Katara said, smiling to her blind friend.

"Katara... I can tell you're still angry about Zuko. As soon as I mentioned him, your heart rate changed. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Katara said, taking a deep breath. She promised to herself not to let it bother her any more. "So what do you think? We'll wait for things to quiet down a bit, and then we'll go save Iroh when we liberate Ba Sing Se."

"Hmm... sounds good. Well, I'm getting back to bed."

"Night," Katara said to her. Toph mumbled in response.

As Katara turned back to the river to resume bending for a little while, Toph mumbled something only she could hear. "You're lying."

The waterbender trained for a few more minutes, and she turned to go to sleep, too. Toph was laying on the ground, in one of her earth tents. Sokka was wrapped up in his sleeping back, while Aang slept against Appa, as usual. Kuei was up on top of Appa, in his saddle, cuddled with his bear, Bosco.

The camp they chose was in a small clearing next to a river. There were woods all around them; a perfect place to hide. They were still on their way to the Eastern Air Temple. Katara wrapped herself up in a sleeping bag similar to her brother's, and fell asleep quite quickly, which was a nice change for her. She was hoping desperately to forget about Zuko and the terrible things he did. The last thing she saw before she slept was the shining crescent moon above her.

* * *

**Author's Note: One thing I realized while writing this was that "Tyro" is another word for "novice" or "apprentice." I didn't know that, and I thought it was interesting, so I used it as a hint that he's not a master earthbender. I don't remember if in the show or not if he is a master. I'm hoping that he's not O.o**

**Also, **_**Kira-Duragon **_**is Japanese for "Killer of Dragons."**

**Anyway, please review! I love LPR's (Long, pointless reviews) and I also like constructive criticism! **


	3. Earthly Attachments

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 3: Earthly Attachments_

"Look! Look! I can see the Eastern Air Temple!" Sokka yelled, pointing in the direction they were going.

"Well aren't you special," Toph stated.

"Yeah, look how cool it looks from here..." he said to the earthbender. The _blind _earthbender.

"Oh yeah, lemme tell ya. It's great," she said sarcastically. Sokka finally noticed that she wasn't looking.

"Hey!"

"Sokka..." Katara said angrily, rubbing her temples. Aang was laughing from his spot on Appa's head, almost completely back to normal.

"Well... we made good time," Aang said, stifling his laughter.

"So, Aang... why didn't you master the Avatar state last time you were here?" Katara asked him.

Aang stiffened. He didn't want to tell Katara. "Well, um, uh..."

"Yeah, what was with that? You kinda came looking all urgent and telling me Katara was in trouble. Now that I think about it, how did you know?" Sokka asked the young boy.

He tried as hard as he could to think of an excuse. Since they were in the air, Toph would never be able to catch that he was lying... But he trusted his friends more than anything. He decided to go with the truth. Not the _whole _truth, but the truth. "I was on the final level, trying to unlock the Avatar state, so I could be in complete control whenever I activated it. But right before it happened... I saw that you were in trouble, Katara."

Katara looked at him oddly. "Well, thanks Aang. But you should have really stayed for just a couple more minutes and mastered the Avatar state before coming to save me..."

Aang scratched the back of his head, blushing madly. He felt vulnerable because he felt his whole bald head heating up. "Well, um... I didn't think of that."

"Oh, look. We're here," Sokka said, noticing the obvious. Aang was the first to hop off of Appa, followed by Toph, who was eager to get on solid ground. Kuei looked around, marveling at the ancient temple.

"Set up camp, guys. I'm going to find the Guru," Aang told them, rushing off to the tallest part of the temple. He ran up the spiraling ramp, knowing the Guru would be all the way at the top.

When he finally reached the top of the plateau, he wasn't surprised to see the old man sitting cross-legged in deep meditation. Aang absently wondered if he even moved since he was last there.

"You have returned," the Guru stated, eyes closed.

"Yes, I have. I am sorry for leaving," Aang said, bowing in apology. He adopted the same position Pathik was in.

"You are afraid that you will never be able to love, am I right?" Pathik asked him, opening up one eye.

"Yes... if it means I can't love, I'm not sure if I want to be the Avatar." He quickly corrected himself when he remembered he already opened the Sound Chakra. "Um... but I've accepted that I already am."

"Who ever said that you may not love? Letting go of earthly attachments simply means that you cannot let anything hold you back. You have to know that your friends can _survive _when in danger. Think of all the _good_ times you've had with them, and the pride you hold when they accomplish something. You have to know that they have the _will_ to protect you and _love_ you for who you are. _Accept _that they are strong enough to protect themselves, too. You need _insight _to accomplish all of this, and know what you will do as you enter the Avatar state. Does this sound familiar?"

With a start, Aang realized what he was saying. "Those are all the chakras..."

"Yes, Aang. In order to unlock the final chakra, you need to be able to unlock all of the others first. Once you achieve the Avatar state, you will be in complete and total control. You will have the power of a thousand spirits behind you."

Aang nodded, overjoyed by the idea of being in control while in the Avatar state. He began working on unlocking the chakra. Closing his eyes, he entered the great cosmos once again, seeing the expansive crystal road stretch out before him. Billions of stars were all around him as he walked, and he watched all of it while paying attention to the slim path he traveled on. Now, he was determined to reach the floating being at the end of the road, his mind's replica of himself in the Avatar state. He walked on as if in a dream, mentally going over everything the Guru said about letting go of earthly attachments. Comets streamed by in the distance, and Aang had the sudden desire to ride one.

The transparent body came into view, looming over him. Aang felt himself running up to it, a wide smile on his face. As he ran, he almost stopped. He thought of Katara again. Being in the crown of his head, he had greater access to his thoughts. Where did he stand with Katara? Did she love him as much as he loved her? Or was it a strict sibling-only love? He knew she only loved him like a brother.

_Maybe... Katara is just a sister to me... _Aang thought sadly. _Besides, why would a girl as pretty as her want to be with someone two years younger? Maybe I should look at Katara like the family I never had._

As the celestial being neared, Aang reached out and touched it. As he did this, the arrows on his body and his eyes glowed, until he was a complete copy of the spirit in front of him. He became one with it.

In the real world, the Avatar temples glowed, shooting beacons of light in the air. The same happened to Aang, and he started floating into the sky. Winds blew all around him. Normally, when he was in the Avatar state, he felt like he was sleeping. He barely remembered what happened every time. Now, it was different. He felt completely normal, except for the power coursing through him. He made the winds stop, and he lowered to the ground. He approached the Guru, who looked at him proudly.

"I've done it," Aang said, his voice echoed by the thousands of Avatars from the past. "I've mastered the Avatar state."

"Excellent job, Aang! Congratulations!" Pathik shouted, clapping joyfully. Aang reverted back to his normal self. The only change was the glowing that died out. He didn't even collapse like he normally did.

"Now let's go back down to the temple. I'd like you to meet my friends," Aang said, smiling warmly.

"Of course, of course! Now, they like onion banana juice, right?"

Aang laughed. "Probably not."

"Eh, nobody does. Oh well," Pathik said, shrugging. The two friends now walked down the long, sloping ramp side by side.

"Oh, and one other thing," Aang said, remembering Kuei. "Can the King of Ba Sing Se stay with you while we travel around the world? He has a bear named Bosco."

"What kind of bear?"

"He's just a bear."

"Huh?"

"You'll see," Aang said, laughing lightly as he remembered that he and his friends had the same reaction. When they reached the bottom, he saw all of his friends circled around a fire, eating. Sokka looked up from his meal.

"Nice light show, Aang."

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Guru Pathik," Aang said joyfully, motioning to the old man.

"Nice to meet you," Katara greeted. "I take it that you've mastered the Avatar state?"

"Yupp!" Aang said boastfully, puffing out his chest. Toph sighed.

"Oh, boy..."

"That's him?" Kuei asked, squinting at the old man. "Nice to meet you."

"Ah, you must be the King of Ba Sing Se. It is an honor," Pathik said, bowing. "Now let me see this 'bear.'"

Bosco ambled up to Pathik, sniffing him. The Guru inspected it thoughtfully. "Well, I'd be delighted to have you both here," he said, turning to the Earth King. "Now who wants some onion banana juice?"

* * *

Zuko decided. He was going to leave the palace. But alone he couldn't do it. He wanted to save Iroh, but Azula put their Uncle under heavy security. There was no way he would be able to get out. And Azula didn't take any chances—none of the guards listened to Zuko, under her orders.

_Just like my sister. She doesn't trust anybody._

His first priority was to find out who was on his side. His Uncle was impossible to get to at the moment. Two people came to his mind—Mai and Ty Lee. Neither of them liked when Azula killed. He had to use this to his advantage, get them over to his side...

At the moment, Zuko was following the two girls through the palace halls. It was late at night, and they did not see him because he was clothed in black and high in the air—walking along the ledges of the tall walls. He was nearly impossible to see.

Their destination surprised him. They were heading to the crystal catacombs. _Did they want to talk in private? _It was possible, since neither of them spoke as they walked. Zuko waited a few moments after they entered, he would be more vulnerable down on the same level as them. He planned to use the crystals as a sort of cover when he was in the area.

He jumped down from the ledge, landing lightly on his feet. He used his stealth skills from his Blue Spirit days to help him. He followed the two teens into the crystal catacombs. The last time he entered, he was too busy to marvel at the bright, colorful crystals that lined the floors, walls, and ceilings. The lights reflected off of each other, sending hues of all types around the area, easily lighting it up without the use of lanterns. While Zuko was more visible here in his black clothing, he was easily able to hide behind the large precious stones.

The two girls led him unintentionally to the deeper parts of the catacombs, Ty Lee looking eager to talk after her prolonged silence. Zuko wondered what the hell they were being so secretive about. _Did Azula send them on a mission?_

His questions were soon answered when Mai stopped abruptly, and turned to the bubbly girl.

"Now you can talk," she said, speaking in quiet, harsh tones. Zuko remained behind a giant blue crystal.

"Do you think what Azula's doing is right? I mean... she's getting really creepy," Ty Lee said, visibly shivering. Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"We have to leave Ba Sing Se. We can't really just get rid of Azula," Mai said, unsurprisingly showing no emotion.

"She's killing lots of people. I don't like killing. I just want the war to end," Ty Lee whined. Mai shushed her.

"Speak quietly! If Azula ever finds out what we're doing, she'll have us killed."

Zuko decided now was the time to step out of his hiding place. "Plotting against Azula, are we?"

Mai stepped back, a look of genuine fear on her face. Ty Lee jumped and hid behind her friend, wide-eyed.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to stop you," Zuko said.

"Should we believe him?" Ty Lee whispered to Mai.

"How do we know you're not lying to us?" Mai asked aloud. "You might just turn us over to your sister after this."

"Azula isn't my sister. She used to be, but no more. I've changed. It took my Uncle's imprisonment for me to learn this. I want to help... the Avatar," he said quietly. Mai raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you want to restore your honor?" she asked.

"I don't care about that anymore. My father can rot in the Spirit World for all I care."

Ty Lee stepped out from behind Mai. "How are we gonna get out of here?"

Zuko sighed. "I'm not entirely sure. But I'd like to get my Uncle out of here, too."

Mai stared at him apologetically. "How are we going to do that? He is under heavy security, and Azula didn't even give _us _any authority." Zuko had to admit, he was rather shocked by all the emotion Mai was showing.

"Azula trusts no one," Zuko said plainly.

"I think we're gonna have to leave Iroh behind. Azula won't hurt him, she told us that already," Ty Lee spoke up. Zuko looked into her eyes. She didn't seem to be lying. He turned to Mai, who nodded. He knew she could see if people were lying, too. If Mai thought Azula told the truth, then Zuko did, too.

"Okay..." Zuko said, nodding. "Do either of you have a plan?"

"You mean you don't?" Mai sighed. "You'll never change."

"I have an idea! We'll go underground!" Ty Lee said happily.

"Huh?"

"The crystal catacombs, duh! There's a whole underground passage that leads outside of the city... even out of the Outer Wall! After that we can just find the Avatar and his cute friend."

Zuko and Mai both turned to the bubbly girl, both of them having a similar expression—looks of shock.

"What?" Ty Lee asked innocently.

"Anyway..." Mai continued, as if there was no interruption, "Why do you suddenly want to _help _the Avatar? The person you've been chasing for three years."

"My Uncle would want me to," Zuko stated. "So just drop it."

"I hope the poor guy's alright," Ty Lee said. "Anyways, why don't we just go now? I mean, we're in the catacombs already. We don't even have to bother acting around Azula for another day."

"We're not prepared, and we have nowhere to go yet. We don't have any leads," Mai said, starting to get bored.

"Mai, remember what Azula said today? She wanted to send Zuko out with a couple of people to find the Avatar and his friends," Ty Lee reminded her.

"Damn. Then we're going to have to leave now. He can't exactly turn her down," Mai said monotonously.

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "I want my broadswords."

"Then go get 'em! We'll wait for you!" Ty Lee said excitedly, punching a hand up in the air. Mai rolled her eyes as Zuko left the two girls.

He came back minutes later, with his broadswords on his hips and a bag of food and another one full of gold pieces. The three turned to go even deeper into the seemingly endless catacombs, with Ty Lee unexpectedly leading them. She seemed to know where to go in the maze-like area. For hours they walked, Ty Lee occasionally complaining about her feet hurting. They stopped eventually to camp out for the night. They still had a day to travel underground before they passed the thick, outer walls.

Zuko started a fire in the large cavern they decided to sleep in. Unfortunately, they had no tents or anything to sleep in. They all huddled around the fire for warmth. Oddly, to their luck, Ty Lee knew how to carve a pot... out of crystals. Zuko and Mai both stared, wide-eyed, at the hyper girl as she came back with a glowing green pot. Mai didn't even snatch the knife out of her hand that Ty Lee stole from her to carve it.

"What? My Dad used to be a woodworker," the girl explained, shrugging. "The crystals aren't that hard, so it was easy for me to carve. Mai, if you threw a knife at one of them it would shatter completely. All I had to do was be careful with it, and BAM! A pot."

Zuko shook his head disbelievingly. "Can you make us a spoon to scoop the stew with?"

"I'm waaay ahead of ya," Ty Lee said, producing a gleaming red spoon from inside her clothing. Two more shimmering, multicolored spoons accompanied it. "I got sick skills," she said, grinning.

z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z

The next day, the three of them continued their journey. Now they were rushed because Azula must have known by then that they were gone. They traveled at night, because it didn't matter what time it was underground. They didn't want to sleep more than they had to. Since they started at night, they were trying not to sleep and get back to their normal sleeping habits.

Miraculously, when they exited the crystal catacombs, it was nighttime. Perfect cover for them. Well, for Zuko and Mai anyway, who were wearing black. Ty Lee was wearing her normal pink. The desert-like area stretched out before them, and the wall far behind them. By now, Azula was probably hoping they were inside the city, and she was letting nobody leave. Zuko turned to his new companions. They turned out to be alright.

* * *

Jin groaned angrily. There was a holdup for the ferry. It seemed that their new ruler did not want anyone leaving yet. As a result, the Dai Li were checking everyone that was getting on the ferry. An hour later, she was allowed on. Unfortunately, by the time everyone was on the ferry, it was nighttime, and they were going to leave the next morning.

Grumbling, Jin slept uncomfortably on the rocking boat. She was forced to sleep out on deck, on the ground, since she was a peasant. She was haunted by dreams of a scarred face and a man being burned alive by blue fire.

When she awoke, she saw clear, blue skies and water all around them. The ferry was heading south of Ba Sing Se, to the southern shores of the Earth Kingdom. Bai Bai was not too far from Omashu, recently renamed "New Ozai." Omashu and Bai Bai were separated by the mysterious Cahdeham Mountains. The only way to get to Bai Bai was either by crossing these mountains or coming by ferry. Most people chose the ferry, because the Cahdeham Mountains were dangerous and rumored to be haunted. A heavy mist always lingered over the tall peaks.

Jin hugged her legs, feeling extremely lonely on the ferry. She had no one to talk to, and a lot of the older nobles were staring at her with odd looks. She longed to get to the trading port.

When she arrived the next day, she stared over the railing at the many docks. Buildings similar to the ones in Ba Sing Se were all over the place. Docks full of ships lined the beaches. The sun shined in the warm area, inviting people to come outside. Hundreds of traders and merchants were everywhere, some arguing with customers or bartering. When Jin's ferry docked, she walked through the streets, looking all around in awe.

She saw all kinds of people. Mothers walked with their children, buying them treats. A herd of kids pushed through everyone, chasing each other. With a pang of sadness, she saw a couple sitting by a romantic fountain. This sadness was short-lived, however, when she saw a bunch of shady characters eyeing her and her katana. She walked away, eager to be out of their presence.

_Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come alone, _Jin thought. Unfortunately, she had no one to go with her.

She wandered around for a few more hours, trying to find something to do until the ferry headed for Jihen left the next day.

"Hmm... what's a pretty girl like you doing all alone in a place like this?" Jin froze. She realized in her wandering, she fell upon a dark alley.

"Um... I'm just passing through," Jin said uneasily.

"Nah, why don't you stay awhile? We can have some fun," one of the men said. A few of them closed in on her. They were Fire Nation soldiers.

"Get away from me!" she yelled, brandishing _Kira-Duragon. _The weapon gleamed in the sunlight. She held it in an awkward stance she tried to copy, remembering her father use it when she was younger. She failed miserably.

"What's a girl like you doing with a weapon like that? Clearly you don't know how to use it," the same man said.

"She probably stole it," another suggested.

"Just put it down, we're nice people," the first man said, smirking. Jin held her stance, trying to look as threatening and brave as possible.

She prayed for somebody, _anybody, _to come save her. Well, anyone except for "Li."

"Not gonna put it down? We'll force you to do it!" A third one said maliciously, coming forward with a spear in hand. Jin hit his spear away with her weapon. All of the men laughed at her, and drew their weapons.

"So you want to fight? Let's see how experienced she really is, eh?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Ooh, a cliffhanger. I love doing that to people, just so you know :D It won't be the only one. Anyway, I kinda liked this chapter. I hope the rest of you did, lol.**

**Please review! They really really make me happy. I tell my friend every time I get one :)**


	4. Clash of Benders

**Author's Note: I've decided to post responses to anonymous reviewers here.**

**Clearlyconfused: I'm glad I made you respect Jin :D I actually like her character. I'm changing her a little in this story, since Zuko's betrayal affected her greatly. You'll also see a bit more of Jet, Jin, and Haru in this chapter. Thanks for the review!**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Avatar. It belongs to Nickelodeon. I **_**do **_**own a character appearing in this chapter, though. **

**Speaking of that, sorry if you guys hate OC's. I'm trying to make them as real as possible. There won't be too many, though. There are only three, and another is **_**kind **_**of an OC. I'll tell you more about it when she appears...**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 4: Clash of Benders_

Jin felt herself shaking now. She tried screaming, but nobody heard her in a dark alley like this. Most people were smart enough to avoid it.

The Fire Nation thugs were teasing her with their weapons, occasionally prodding her with a spear or cutting her lightly with a sword. They wanted to make her suffer. Jin turned around constantly, trying to block as many attacks as she could. She felt the weapon's weight getting heavier and heavier. Her arms threatened to fall limply to her side. Her heart painfully throbbed in her chest, she felt ready to faint...

_Spirits, what did I get myself into? What am I _doing

"Meh, she's just a girl. Doesn't know how to fight at all," one of the thugs said, sounding bored.

"All the more fun for us," another one said, a wide smirk on his face. Jin gulped nervously.

_Come on! I should have expected this! Be brave, Jin, _she thought desperately.

It didn't really work.

Suddenly, a stream of water flew through the air and smacked one of the thugs, causing him to turn to it angrily. A young man in bright blue clothing was bending the water, arms motioning it through the air. A second stream came from his water flask, flowing around the man and pulling his feet out from under him. He had a determined look in his sapphire eyes, and Jin felt honored that someone was trying to save her. Especially a man that was so good-looking...

_No! I can't just fall for people like that anymore, not after what happened with Li... _Jin shook her head angrily, banishing the thought. She awkwardly struck one of the distracted thugs with her katana, giving him a minor slash across his back. He grasped it in pain, and ran away. These people were thugs, but they were also cowards. Jin felt her own blood slowly dripping down her own back. She was getting even more tired, she felt her vision blurring slightly...

The waterbender dropped one of the water whips to the ground, right in front of one of the thugs rushing at him with a broadsword, and quickly froze it, causing the man to slip and topple. At the same time, he was fighting off another with his remaining water whip. His brow began sweating, and he started to look tired, too. He clearly wasn't a master waterbender.

There were about four of the Fire Nation thugs left, three wielding sharp weapons and another sitting back and watching. Jin decided to ignore him for now, using the last of her energy to rush at one of them fighting the waterbender, since he couldn't take all three at once. She blindly slashed at the man, while he tried feebly to block with his dagger. He fled when he received an exceptionally large gash along his arm. One of the others fighting the waterbender turned to her, leaving her savior to fight with one. He hefted his axe threateningly, smirking widely at her. Jin was panting, holding her katana low to the ground. Soon, she'd be leaning on it.

The thug took advantage of this and slashed her across the shoulder with his axe, leaving the deepest cut yet. Jin yelled out in pain, falling to the ground. She stared up at the man in horror, who looked ready to kill her. _Kira-Duragon _lied weakly in her hand.

"I'm surprised you managed to last this long," he said, smirking again. He lifted his axe above his head, ready to chop hers off. Jin closed her eyes tightly, not having the energy to lift her weapon off the ground to defend herself.

She was surprised to hear a loud _clang _come from right above her face. Her eyes flicked open, and she stared wide-eyed at the two weapons held in front of her. One was the axe that was coming down at her, and the other was a blue Water Tribe club, defending her. The club was held by the waterbender, who managed to defeat the other thug and send him running. He held the club with both hands. Now, it was a battle of strength between the two.

"My name's Shuang," the waterbender managed to say through grit teeth. Jin looked at him oddly for introducing himself at such a wrong time. His blue eyes were locked with her brown ones, seemingly saying, _Get out of here. _Somehow finding the energy, Jin was able to pick up her weapon and roll out of the way, before the larger man's strength won out and Shuang's club was knocked to the ground. He backed up, lifting the water that he dropped from his earlier fight and sent it blasting towards the axe-wielder, causing him to smack painfully into the wall and lose consciousness.

The last man, the one who wielded no weapons, walked up to them, getting into a battle-ready position. Jin stood up slowly, leaning against the wall for support. Her blood was all over the ground. She felt herself starting to get sick. She realized this man, the one with no weapon, was the one that spoke first when she first encountered them. Shuang lifted his club and held it in front of him defensively.

"Impressive," the soldier said. "I wasn't expecting you two to last this long." His voice wasn't as teasing and suggestive as it was before, now it was dark and malicious. "Now, you are under arrest for attacking my men."

"But you attacked me," Jin was able to say weakly. The soldier laughed a deep, booming laugh. Suddenly, a fairly large boulder came from the other side of the alley and struck him in the head, causing him to fall to his hands and knees. Jin looked to the new arrival, and saw a young man with long, dark hair wearing Earth Kingdom clothing. He held both hands in front of him in a battle stance, palms out. The Fire Nation soldier stood up slowly, holding a hand to his head. He turned to the earthbender angrily, hands suddenly blazing up in a deep red fire. The earthbender pushed both hands down and pulled them up slowly, as if lifting something heavy. A pillar of rock suddenly jutted out of the ground near the firebender. In response to this, the firebender held both hands out in front of him, putting his hands together and then spreading them out, forming a great wall of fire. Jin gulped. He did this easily.

He was defended from attacks from the front, but not from the back, and Shuang used this to his advantage. He pulled his water to him, and sent it flying towards the firebender, freezing in the air and forming ice shards. Each of them stabbed into his back, and the man turned to Shuang, roaring. His fire wall disappeared, and he rushed towards the waterbender with his fists, punching the air in front of him. Shuang was just barely able to dodge the blasts of fire that came from the man's knuckles. The earthbender lifted his arm, causing another pillar to spring up in between Shuang and the firebender.

Jin fell to her knees, leaning against the wall. Her eyes drooped, and she feared it was going to be the last time she was able to open them, so she forced herself to stay awake. She gazed at the three fighters and watched the battle unfold.

"Once again, I'm impressed," the Fire Nation soldier said. "By the way, I am Lieutenant Zhang. I figured you'd want to know my name before I kill you."

"Thanks, but we don't care," the earthbender said between breaths. Shuang smirked, sending a small jet of water at the firebender's side.

"Also, I'm a firebending master. You have no chance in fighting me. I can tell you're all severely inexperienced," Zhang said cruelly. The earthbender kicked up boulders from the ground, punching them (Jin had no idea how they did this without breaking their knuckles) to the Lieutenant. Each one missed as Zhang nimbly dodged.

Shuang seemed to be getting tired, too. His attacks were getting sloppier, and every once in a while he got burned. Most of the time, the earthbender was able to save him from further injury just in time, but Zhang seemed more intent on getting rid of the waterbender first.

The earthbender stomped his feet and sent ripples through the ground, trying to get the Lieutenant to lose his balance so that Shuang could get a chance to take him down. Unfortunately, the firebender decided to switch his targets and send a blast of fire towards the earthbender, who was barely able to throw himself to the floor to avoid the attack. Zhang walked right in front of Jin, barely giving her the slightest glance. He was too busy fighting the other two benders. Shuang bent gracefully and circled the water all around him to send it at the firebender, while the earthbender solidly lifted a slab of stone to bash the Lieutenant with. He was surrounded on both sides, with the earthbender to Jin's left and the waterbender to her right. Zhang turned his back to her, and pointed a single finger at her, staring at the other two fighters.

"One more move and she dies," he said simply. "Let go of your elements."

Shuang's shoulders dropped and he let the water fall to the floor, while the earthbender put the slab of stone back into the ground. Jin stared weakly at her weapon, and the man's fingertip pointing at her. Finding the energy out of seemingly nowhere, she lifted the katana and stabbed the firebender in the hip, unable to aim any higher. He stumbled in pain, sending two bursts of fire at the other benders and limping away as fast as he could go.

Shuang rushed up to her, gathering his water and putting it back into his flask. He held her gently, a look of compassion and worry in his eyes.

"I'll go find help," the earthbender said, rushing off to where he came from. Shuang looked at all of Jin's wounds.

"I'm no healer, but I'll try to help," he said quietly, drawing water out of his flask. It covered his hand and he held it over her largest wound in the shoulder, brow creased in concentration. Nothing happened. "Damnit!" he growled. He started ripping pieces off of his clothing, trying to staunch the bleeding.

Jin smiled weakly. "Thank you."

"Don't say that, it sounds like you're saying goodbye."

"I don't think the wounds are that serious... I believe I'll live."

"But it's a lot of blood..."

"Calm down, you barely know me. Why are you getting so worried?" She felt pain all over.

The earthbender came running back, telling Shuang to pick her up and follow him. He lifted her and complied with the earthbender's orders.

"So, what's your name?" Shuang asked, trying to keep her talking.

"I'm Jin, nice to meet you," she managed.

"You're bleeding this much and you can still manage to be polite?" Shuang said, smiling at her, speaking between breaths as he ran. The three finally stopped at a house where a girl was standing outside, ushering them in.

"Put her down on the bed," the girl ordered. Shuang gently laid her down on the bed, and Jin forced herself to stay awake. She looked at all of the worried faces around her. The girl cleaned her biggest wounds, covering them with some herbal paste that stung a whole lot, but Jin dismissed the pain. She was getting slightly used to it. Besides, the pain of the cuts all over her body hurt a lot more.

The girl thought aloud. "Hmm, nothing too serious, but you're lucky you got her here now. Any later and she would have died of blood loss."

The earthbender bowed respectfully. "Thank you, miss."

The healer waved him off. "What happened to you three, anyway?" she asked, staring at Shuang and the earthbender's various cuts, bruises, and burns. "Fire Nation?"

The two of them nodded.

Jin tried speaking to get her mind off of the wounds. "What is your name?" She was looking at the earthbender.

"Haru, and you are?"

"Jin."

"Nice to meet you," he said, smiling. Jin smiled back.

The healer cut in. "I'm afraid you can't stay here very long. If you three were able to get away from the soldiers, then they'll be after you soon... Or not, since this happens often. Just lay low for a while."

"I don't plan to stay here long," Haru said. "I'm leaving for Ba Sing Se tomorrow to find an earthbending master."

"Well, good luck," the healer said.

"You can't..." Jin said, trying to sit up. "I came from there. The Fire Nation took over."

The other three stared at her incredulously. "But how?" Shuang asked.

"They probably took it by stealth. The Prince and Princess did it easily overnight, it felt like."

Haru sighed. "I'll never find a master."

"So, Shuang. What's your story?" Jin turned to him, smiling.

"I came from the Northern Water Tribe. I am learning under Master Pakku, one of the strongest waterbenders there. We were all traveling to the south to help our sister tribe rebuild. We stopped here, and I found you."

"Oh. Well, thank you again," Jin said, saying it to all three of them.

"Jin..." Shuang began to say. The girl turned her head to look into his clear, blue eyes. "You can't wander around the town by yourself."

She raised an eyebrow at him. _What is he implying? _

"I'd... like to be your bodyguard," he said finally. Jin was surprised. A bodyguard? Well, she could certainly use one; the events of today were proof of that. And Shuang seemed to be a nice guy.

"Sure, why not?" Jin said, smiling. Shuang seemed to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "But what about your tribe?"

"I'll tell them that I chose to stay here, to protect you. They'll understand. They don't really need me in the Southern Tribe anyway; I don't know anything about building. They should let me stay for something like this."

The healer took the katana from Jin's hands, just realizing that she was still holding it. Jin even forgot about it. The healer put it down on the floor, gently.

"Hmm... You aren't too experienced with that katana, are you?" Shuang asked her.

"No, not really. It was my father's," Jin admitted.

"I can train you with that. There are a few Water Tribe warriors who use those weapons. They perfectly suit us—you need grace to use a weapon like that."

"I'd appreciate that," Jin said, smiling graciously.

"Do you two mind if I stay with you guys, too? I have some money, so we can get a room in an inn. I don't have anywhere to go now," Haru said sadly.

"Sure! I'd love to have two protectors," Jin said, looking to the two benders.

* * *

Jet felt back to normal in just another day. Smellerbee was shocked at his fast recovery; they didn't even have a waterbender healer. He had to be careful, though—any stretching or pressure would cause him pain. At the moment, the three were outside of the city. It seemed that many people were fleeing now that the Fire Nation controlled Ba Sing Se.

"So Jet, where will we go to find them?" Smellerbee asked as they walked along the path.

"We'll stop at every town and see if there's any news about the Avatar. We'll just keep on following them, I guess."

The small girl sighed. "We really need a better plan."

Jet stiffened. Somebody was sneaking around behind them. "Battle positions. Now," he whispered. Longshot ran off into the trees, while Smellerbee silently drew her kukri and walked on the other side of the path. They continued walking normally as the person following them slowly snuck up on the seemingly unsuspecting travelers.

The person lunged at Jet with a knife from behind. He agilely turned around, drawing his hook swords and blocking the attack, holding the other at the man's neck. "Get away from us," Jet ordered.

The bandit whimpered. "Yes, sir."

"You coward. Get out of my sight," Jet spat. The man fumbled with his knife and ran away. "Too easy." The Freedom Fighter smirked, putting his hook swords back on his belt. "Stay in your battle positions from now on."

Like this, if anyone snuck up on them again, Jet or Smellerbee were able to attack anyone that came on either side. If they were overwhelmed, Longshot was in the trees, ready to fire at anybody.

"Okay, let's keep going. I want to get to the next town by nightfall," Jet said.

* * *

Katara stared at the ground far below them, quite bored. They left the Eastern Air Temple the day before, and now they were heading to Chameleon Bay to warn her father and his men about Ba Sing Se. News traveled slowly in the world.

The grass and the trees passed by below them, and Katara entertained herself by trying feebly to count the trees. Needless to say, she failed. She watched rivers snake through the forests, and the occasional rolling plain. She tried turning over and looking at the clouds, trying to spot shapes. She did this most of the day though, and quickly got bored.

Toph was asleep by the luggage, while Sokka was sharpening his boomerang. Aang sat by Appa's reins, playing with Momo. Katara sighed frustratingly. She was so bored.

Once again, her thoughts turned back to Zuko. She still wasn't completely over the fact that she _almost _helped him, and _almost _wasted her precious oasis water on him.

_That firebender _jerk! She thought angrily. He _always _made the wrong choices. And that wasn't the first time she offered to help him. She was generous enough to offer to heal Iroh when he was struck down by Azula, but Zuko angrily scared them away. What was wrong with that guy? He could be as bad as Sokka when it came down to pride. But somewhere, deep down, she knew he wasn't as cruel as his sister. Heartless, yes, but not cruel. She just wished she could see him again—she would be able to show him how angry he made her by whipping his butt to oblivion.

Appa began descending, leading them to a small clearing not far from a river. When the air bison landed, the four of them hopped off. Sokka went off to get firewood, and Toph started getting everything off of Appa. Katara began making dinner.

"Aang, you should start carrying around a water skin, just like me," Katara said to him randomly. "They're useful when there's no water around."

"Sounds like a good idea," the Avatar said, shrugging. "Where can I get one?"

"I have a spare," she said, tossing it to him. The young boy caught it eagerly, rushing off to fill it up. The waterbender followed him, needing to refill her own.

She easily filled it up with waterbending, but she decided to practice a bit while the food was cooking. She didn't really need to sit with it.

"I'm going to go help Toph set up camp," Aang said to her, after filling up his water supply. He started walking away.

"Okay, I'll see you there." Katara gently pulled the water to her, letting it circle her. Her vision distorted as the water blocked everything. To her right, she saw a figure slowly walking up to her. She had no idea who it was, but they were wearing dark clothing. Aang, Toph, and Sokka never wore dark clothing. She lowered the water.

"Zuko!" she yelled, immediately sending razor sharp waves at him. He managed to dodge each one, rolling out of the way. "The _nerve _of you to show up here!"

"Stop!" he yelled.

"No, I'm never going to listen to you! Get out of here! You almost _killed _Aang!"

"I want to help!"

Katara stopped her attack, letting these words sink in. "And you expect me to believe you? After what you did? You probably just want to spy on us! I really can't believe you!" Water began circling her, slowly bringing her up into the air. Some of it froze, allowing her to walk on it. She really looked intimidating to anyone watching.

Suddenly, Mai and Ty Lee emerged from behind the trees where Zuko came from. "_They're _with you too? Azula can't be far then!"

"No, no! We're against Azula now!" Ty Lee shouted in vain. Aang, Toph, and Sokka rushed from the direction of camp, wielding their respective elements or weapons.

"Katara, stop!" Toph yelled to her. The waterbender was ready to drag all three of the Fire Nation fighters into the water and drown them. "They're telling the truth!"

Katara slowly lowered to the ground, staring at Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee threateningly. With one quick motion, Ty Lee and Mai were encased in ice, frozen to a tree. She didn't try it with Zuko, since she knew he could melt it easily.

"Get us out of here!" Mai said angrily, struggling against the cold.

"Katara..." Aang said, pleading with her.

"Not until we hear them talk. If not, I'll blast you all to oblivion," Katara said, crossing her arms angrily.

"Yeah Sis! I say we keep them there and run," Sokka said, holding his boomerang up in the air.

"Let's give them a chance to talk. I want to know if they're telling the truth, and where Iroh is," Toph knelt down, putting her hand on the ground.

"My Uncle is still imprisoned. We couldn't get him out of there," Zuko said emotionlessly.

"Fact," Toph said. "Keep talking."

"The three of us escaped from Ba Sing Se, in hopes of finding you and helping. It's what my Uncle would have wanted."

"You make it sound like he's already gone..." Aang said sadly.

"He's not. Just imprisoned!" Ty Lee yelled. "This is so cold! Let me down!"

Zuko nodded. "They said Azula wouldn't hurt him."

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's telling the truth. All of it," Toph said, standing up straight. Aang thawed the ice, letting the two girls fall to the ground.

"But... but... he can't stay with us! He's a firebender!" Sokka protested.

"I'm not too happy about this either. I don't want to travel with peasants," Zuko said, obviously not caring.

"You're so frustrating! You don't look like much, either!" Katara shouted. "Just some stuck up... firebending... jerk!"

"Well, I'm fine with it," Aang said, shrugging. "As long as he's telling the truth."

Katara sighed. _Just like Aang, always seeing the good in people._

Both of the Water Tribe siblings crossed their arms and marched back to camp angrily. "Well I still don't trust him, and I'm _definitely _not cooking for him," Katara said over her shoulder.

"Woohoo!" Ty Lee cheered. "I've always wanted to ride that bison!"

* * *

**Author's Note: There's another chapter for ya. I'm not too happy with the Katara part at the end, Zuko seems so out of character... But he doesn't really want to stay with the GAang, he's just doing it 'cause Iroh would want him to. Mai and Ty Lee frankly just don't care. Oh, and they **_**happened **_**to run into him because Zuko was heading south, while the GAang was heading north, because I THINK the Eastern Air Temple is directly south of Chameleon Bay. I know for sure where the temple is, but the bay I'm kind of just guessing. On the map, there is a clear bay, right near Ba Sing Se. So I'm guessing that large bay is the Chameleon Bay. So their meeting just didn't happen randomly, it was coincidence.**

**Hope you liked the chapter though! Please review! **

**By the way, I thought of a plot twist to make this story a bit more original than most Book 3 fics. Oh, and that part with Jet... I'm sorry that it's short, but it's there for two reasons. One, to just see how he is and what they're doing, and two, their "battle formation." That comes into play a little later. **


	5. Return to Chameleon Bay

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews guys! Well, mostly Duchess192, but I'm sure the rest of you just forgot to review last chapter. Yeah, that must be it. Sorry for not updating in a while! I've been completely planning out this story, and now I would say it would hopefully be more than thirty chapters. Yupp. I hope you guys will stick with it the whole way!**

**Oh, and there's going to be another OC in this chapter. I was going to wait till next chapter, but this one would have been way too short. Sorry for introducing two of them so fast. But the others won't appear till much later, I promise! ...Besides, Suki needs a traveling companion :D**

**Oh, by the way—Shuang, the waterbender from last chapter... his name isn't pronounced with a "w". :P It is pronounced "Shoo-ang."**

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. At all. Maybe someone else here does. Go ask them.

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 5: Return to Chameleon Bay_

The day was a disaster, to say it lightly. The Water peasant was constantly yelling at Zuko, with her brother behind her and cheering her on. Zuko took it silently, almost looking like he was ignoring her. He was wishing desperately that Iroh was there.

_No! I can't count on everybody to help me all the time. That is a sign of weakness._

Whenever the peasant was out of breath, she'd huff and cross her arms, sending death glares to the firebender. She'd start up again whenever she remembered a particular meeting between them. For the most part, Zuko ignored her, but every once in a while she'd bring up something he was ashamed of, and he'd flinch. She'd go on and on after this, knowing she was winning.

Mai, for the most part, stared up in the clouds. You'd think she was asleep, but her eyes were open. The space above the bison was cramped, so Ty Lee couldn't do much, either.

"Will you _shut up_?" Zuko yelled, interrupting one of her rants. "I get it! You don't like me, and I don't like you. Let's keep it that way. I don't need you yelling ALL THE TIME!"

Katara raised an eyebrow at his sudden outburst. "Just tell us _why _you joined Azula in the first place!"

It was silent for a few seconds. Everyone else was listening eagerly. "Why don't you yell at Mai and Ty Lee for a little while?" Zuko finally answered, turning away.

"What!?" Ty Lee yelled.

"No! _They're _good people. Azula was just controlling them." Zuko fumed at this absurd theory.

"They joined her willingly. They were her friends as a child," he said quietly. "I want revenge against my father. He banished me, because I refused to fight him. He gave me this scar. He ruined my life. I helped Azula because she made me feel accepted by him again. But Iroh has been my father figure all along..." He poured everything out to them, hoping that they'd at least shut up for a little while. In the crystal catacombs, he only told part of the story.

Everyone was immediately silenced again. This time, the silence was broken by the bison as they slowly descended. A small fleet of Water Tribe ships were below them, docked with the soldiers camped on the shore. As they landed, the waterbender and her brother jumped off of the bison, running over to their father. The man looked surprised to see them, but he greeted them warmly.

"Katara! Sokka!" He hugged his daughter tightly, while Sokka smiled. "Shouldn't you be in Ba Sing Se?"

The two children immediately sobered. "The Fire Nation took it over." As she said this, the rest of the group jumped off of the bison.

"How did that happen?" Hakoda, their father, asked.

"They did it by stealth and corruption. Avoid the capital now," Aang said sadly, his gaze switching to the ground. "I failed again." He said that part so silently that only the earthbender could hear him.

The other Water Tribe men listened with quiet fear. "The Earth Kingdom... has fallen," Hakoda said grimly.

"Now it's up to the Water Tribes. We must stand united. It will be our only chance of winning the war," one of the other men said.

"No, we have a few other chances. We must hope that the numerous rebellions will be able to stand up to the Fire Nation's full fury," Hakoda said to them all.

"The rebellions?" Aang asked.

"Yes. There is a great city called Jihen to the west, where rebels of all kinds gather. The Fire Nation has not found it yet."

Katara looked uneasily at Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee. Zuko returned it with a glare. "We will not say anything."

Hakoda turned to look at the three, finally noticing them. "Who are they?"

Sokka sighed. "Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee, Hakoda. Dad, that's Prince ZUKO OF THE FIRE NATION!" He rushed through the introductions, shouting frantically to his father at the end. A few of Hakoda's men drew their weapons. The three Fire Nation teens got into a fighting stance.

"No, wait!" Aang yelled, waving his hands. "They're on our side now!" The men looked confused and angered by such an idea

"That's absurd!"

"Who would team up with Fire Nation scum!?"

"Little _Sokka _let those fire freaks join his group?"

"Enough, enough!" Hakoda silenced them. "The Avatar says they are on our side, so we must accept it."

"Well, me and Sis don't trust him at all," Sokka said, crossing his arms. Zuko was annoyed. They were talking about him as if he wasn't even there.

Hakoda, surprisingly, turned to Zuko. "Don't mind them. They lost their mother to the Fire Nation, so it will be difficult to gain their trust. I'm sorry for anything... rude... they've said to you."

"Don't pity me," Zuko said silently, walking away. In the shelter of the forest, he fumed, literally sending smoke from his nose in his anger. _Everywhere _he went, he was scorned and pitied, unaccepted on both sides. He was caught in the middle of this war, with no true allies. His father didn't want him, his sister hated him, and his mother was gone. He had no true friends in the Fire Nation to help him.

_Mai and Ty Lee are probably still loyal to Azula anyway! _He thought in anger. _I cannot trust anyone. I will work alone, away from the Avatar and his sickening friends._

"Hey, Princey!" He turned around to this voice. It was the earthbender girl, the blind one. He wondered absently why she didn't run into any trees.

"What do you want?" he snarled.

"Don't worry about them. A wise old man once told me it was okay to accept any kind of help, even if it seems like you're being pitied. When I first joined them, I thought they were trying to help me because I was blind. I didn't want to be helped, it made me feel weak."

"What are you talking about?"

"What I'm saying is... it's _okay. _We want to help you, not because you're weak. Come on, I've seen you fight. You're so _not _weak."

"What makes you think you know how I feel?"

"I can feel vibrations in the earth. I can feel everyone's heart rates too, and when their father told you he was sorry, your heart rate flared up in anger. I felt the same way, I know that feeling," the earthbender said, walking away. When she was out of earshot, Zuko spoke.

"What's your name...?" he wondered aloud.

"Toph." Zuko winced. She had better hearing than he thought.

She just figured it was his way of saying thanks.

* * *

Later in the evening, everyone was seated around their own fires. The Avatar and his friends sat with Hakoda and his friend, Bato. Even Mai and Ty Lee were seated with them. Zuko sat far away, eating by his own fire, alone. Hakoda, Sokka, and Ty Lee were talking animatedly; the two Water Tribe men seemed to enjoy her company. They were amused by her, at least. Mai sat silently, observing and listening to all the conversations going around. Katara was leaning on her father's shoulder, eyes gazing into the fire. She was falling asleep.

Zuko felt angry again, and just a little bit jealous. The two Water Tribe peasants got to grow up with their father, who loved them. Zuko's father never showed any emotion except anger, irritation, and neglect to him.

* * *

_A nine year-old Zuko ran through the halls of the Fire Nation palace, trying to find something to do. Azula and her two "friends" were off somewhere causing mischief; not like he wanted to play with them anyway. He saw his father coming out of his bedroom as little Zuko passed._

"_Dad! Can you play with me yet? I'm bored. I can't find Azula, they're being mean anyway."_

"_Then 'be mean' back to her," Ozai muttered._

"_But _Dad_!" _

"_No." His eyes were locked on a scroll in his hands, and he was trying desperately to ignore Zuko. He acted like this ever since his seven year-old sister was able to do _real _firebending. Before she was able to, Ozai seemed proud of his son, and he was eager to teach him how to bend. But once his younger sister passed him, he switched all of his attention to the Princess. Zuko was angry at Azula. She was able to do all kinds of bending skills, and he was barely able to maintain a tiny flame!_

"_Please?"_

"_Goddamn it! Where is that woman!? Zuko, go to Ursa," Ozai seethed. Zuko stopped following his father, shoulders slumped and staring at the ground, as his father continued walking briskly. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he do anything right?_

_

* * *

_

The next morning, Zuko went back into his usual, broody mood. The Avatar's friends were all over the place, doing all kinds of things. The Avatar, the peasant girl, and Toph were loading up the bison with supplies for the journey to Jihen, which the Avatar decided was their next destination. Hakoda gave them enough food and money to last the whole way there. The peasant's brother was training with his father, using all of their weapons.

_That kid has come a long way, _Zuko thought. He remembered fighting the Water Tribe warrior for the first time, and at the time, he wasn't fit to be called a warrior. Even Mai and Ty Lee were doing something to help. Mai grudgingly cleaned the group's dirty clothing, while Ty Lee happily entertained everyone with acrobatics. Instead of wearing the black clothing he used to escape from Ba Sing Se with, Zuko was dressed in something similar to the tea shop robes, but they had slacks instead. It gave him easy movement and it was sort of comfortable.

The waterbender marched up to him, with a scowl on her face. "Everyone's doing stuff to help except you! Go collect some fresh water for us."

"Don't order me around," Zuko said simply.

Katara's face turned red. "You know, I'll say it again: I _really _can't stand you! Let's settle this once and for all, right here, right now." Zuko shrugged as she marched off to the water, eager to prove she was better than him. Zuko got up slowly, as if he was tired, and walked over to the water, breathing deeply.

The waterbender started off the attack, sending powerful jets of water at him. He jumped out of the way, retaliating with a similar blast of fire. He furiously punched and kicked, letting the rage flow through him freely. Every ounce of anger he felt towards her the past few days he unleashed on her now.

Everyone in the encampment rushed over to the scene, Sokka and Hakoda shouting for them to stop.

"This is their fight, let them handle it," Toph said, silencing them. Zuko sent a strong blast of fire at the girl, who managed to bring up a wall of water to block the attack. She was sent flying backwards, but she wasn't hurt from the flames. She solidified the water around her, surfing up to Zuko. She raised a sphere of water, making droplets that froze into ice shards, all headed towards the Prince. While he was distracted, a wave of water flowed towards him, crashing into the man and freezing immediately.

She was surprised when a huge wall of fire sent the ice flying back at her, causing lots of unexpected pain. She recovered from the attack, and countered with a move that he didn't expect either. She used torrents of water that pulled him under. While he was being dragged into deeper water, she healed the cuts and burns she received from his last attack. That done, she pulled him back up, giving him a wide smirk. A powerful wave, courtesy of Katara, sent Zuko tumbling towards the shore. She wanted to prove she was stronger, not kill him.

Two swords of fire materialized in his hands, and he rushed towards her, swinging them expertly. They both turned to whips as they flowed through the air, wrapping around her wrists. She screamed in pain, pulling up tentacles of water to ward him off. With one hand controlling the tentacles, she healed both of her wrists. She gave him a look of pure anger, and raised both her arms up high. A fifty foot wave formed, dragging him out to sea. He looked at the towering wave with fear, then determination. He sent a powerful jet of fire right into the center of it, breaking it enough so that he could swim through. When she realized her attack failed, Katara broke the wave completely, causing the onlookers to move to slightly higher land.

Zuko rushed at her, sending a furious barrage of attacks. Katara moved into the defensive, using water whips to deflect most of the flames. Zuko slowly moved around her, still attacking, trying to herd her onto dry land, where she would be weaker. His plan was working as she backed up ever so slowly. When her back was to the shore, he urged himself on, using one last burst of energy. The fireball flew at her quickly, and she was just able to ward off some of the attack. Unfortunately, it sent her flying straight back, and she landed painfully against the rocky ledge. Zuko let the flames die out, and Katara slumped.

"You win," she muttered. Her friends jumped down and ran over to her worriedly, once again ignoring Zuko. Mai and Ty Lee seemed unsure of what to do.

"I had no idea you were such a great bender!" Hakoda praised his daughter, even though she lost. She ignored them all and looked to Zuko.

"I'm sorry." Zuko looked at her, confused. Was she apologizing for yelling at him?

"Well... Once you rest up Katara, we'll get going. I want to get to Jihen as soon as possible," Sokka announced, glaring daggers at Zuko.

"Sounds good," Aang said, shrugging. Zuko sighed. He didn't know how long he'd be able to last under the torment of traveling with _them._

* * *

After a few days of traveling on foot, Suki eventually came upon another village. It seemed cozy and hospitable, and she was eager to get some decent food. She began thinking about how dumb it was to brave the wilderness alone. She already fought some kind of saber tooth-moose creature, two bull-hawks, and a wild cat-rabbit. To put it simply, she was tired.

So this unknown village looked very welcoming to her as she walked through the gates. There was a woman standing not too far away, who ran over to her eagerly.

"Welcome to Kaibyaku, traveler. There is an inn down the road, and they make wonderful homemade food. Please, just make yourself at home!" Suki nodded to the greeter in thanks, and while adjusting her pack, she took the time to look at the village. It was a simple town, with one-story wooden homes and only about a hundred people. The tallest building, the inn, stood in the center of it all. Passerby smiled at her warmly as she walked by, making her way to the inn. She felt safe here immediately.

As she walked in, she noticed that it was probably run by a single family. They too greeted her warmly, and she asked for a room and something to eat. It was just a regular house, with some extra rooms and a desk. She realized she'd probably be eating meals with them. It didn't matter, they were nice people.

As the woman (probably the mother of the family) prepared her food, Suki saw that she used waterbending.

"Oh, you're a waterbender," Suki said, interested.

"Mmhmm. And you're a Kyoshi Warrior, am I right?"

"Yes, ma'am. I've been one all my life."

"What brings you so far away from home?" Suki sighed.

"The war."

"Ah, yes. My husband and son are off fighting, but my son is allowed to come back! It has made me so happy. He broke his arm, and I received a letter a few days ago. It's been lonely here with just the two of us," the woman said happily.

"Two of you?"

"Oh, my daughter. She's upstairs making your bed," the innkeeper replied. Suki nodded.

"Is your son a waterbender too?" she asked, trying to keep the conversations going. It was nice talking to people after a few days of silence.

"No, none of my children inherited any bending abilities. My husband is an Earth Kingdom man, and he trained our son with weaponry."

"That's very interesting," Suki said.

"Yes..." the woman sighed. "I just can't wait for this war to end..."

"Oh, it will soon! The Avatar has returned, haven't you heard?"

"Bah! Those are just rumors!"

"No, no! I met him myself! Now I'm looking for him and his friends," Suki said smiling.

"That's even more great news! I can't wait to tell Nodoka and Misu!"

"I've heard, Mom," a young girl said, coming down the stairs. Suki supposed this was Misu, the innkeeper's daughter.

"Isn't it great, Misu?"

"Yes, mother. I want to be the one to tell Nodoka when he gets back!"

The old woman laughed. "Say hello to our guest, Misu."

"Hello, I'm Misu! Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Suki, nice to meet you too," the Kyoshi Warrior said.

_This is a very cheery family, _she thought. Suddenly, a tall man entered the house. The innkeeper and her daughter looked up, and their faces immediately turned to looks of absolute joy.

"Nodoka! You're home!" Misu said happily, running to hug him. He was tall and tanned, like most Earth Kingdom people, but his most unusual feature was his hair. It was a brilliant silver, unruly but still well-kept, which was probably done on purpose. It was long with two pieces on each side of his head that framed his face, almost reaching his chin. It was long enough to be kept in a short ponytail in back. He also had deep blue eyes.

Suki wondered how his hair could possibly be silver, but then she remembered—his mother was from the Water Tribes. Each nation usually had black or brown hair colors, but every once in a while, a child would be born with an unusual, but beautiful hair color. The rare color for the Water Tribe was silver, while the Earth Kingdom had stunning red hair. She vaguely remembered that it was rare in the Air Nation (when they were around) to have blonde hair. She had no idea what rare hair color they had in the Fire Nation.

Nodoka's arm was in a sling, and he had a spear that looked very menacing on his back.

"Oh, Nodoka, are you alright?" his mother asked, looking at his broken arm.

"Yes."

"C'mon Nodoka, brighten up. You've been gone for a year!" Misu said, nudging him. The young man—probably a little older than Suki—gave his mother and sister a quick hug and a smile.

His mother ushered him into a chair, right across from Suki, who gave him a small smile in greeting. The old woman quickly gave him and Suki a bowl of steaming soup, and sat down at the table.

"So tell us what happened!" Misu said, also seated at the table.

"It was an accident with an inexperienced earthbender. There was a small landslide near our camp," the nearly silent teen said. He spoke as if bored, or upset. Suki couldn't tell.

"That's terrible!" His mother said, gasping.

"Nobody else was hurt."

"Oh, so it was okay then, I guess." Misu shrugged.

"Ba Sing Se was taken over," Nodoka informed them. Three more gasps rung out around the table.

"Oh no!" Suki said, panic gripping her. Sokka was going to Ba Sing Se! What if the Fire Nation had the Avatar?

"We can't win the war now!" Misu said fearfully.

"Not only that... but I believe the Avatar was captured!" Suki cried. The innkeeper turned to her in disbelief.

"No. He was spotted leaving the city. We were heading there and we saw him flying across the sky," Nodoka said plainly.

Relief flooded through her. "Good."

"Why do you care so much about the Avatar? I don't think one person would be able to stop a whole war," Misu said, scratching her head. She was a few years younger than Suki.

Suki shook her head. "Aang is powerful. I believe he can save the world."

"You know him personally?"

Suki nodded. "Yes, I'm very good friends with their group. I'm trying to find them so I can help them in their efforts."

"When are you leaving?" Nodoka suddenly asked.

"Tomorrow. Early in the morning," Suki answered. "Why?"

"I would like to join you."

Suki tilted her head. "Oh, okay then. I guess... that's fine," she said, shrugging.

"Good. I'm going to bed," the young man said, standing up and heading up the stairs.

When he was gone, the innkeeper turned to him. "I'm sorry for his rudeness. But... he loves adventure. He's never stayed in one place for long. I figured he'd leave us soon after coming home..."

"I'm sorry," Suki apologized. "I just need to catch up with them."

"It's okay. But he won't be a burden, he fights skillfully even one-handed. He just doesn't talk much." She smiled at Suki. The Kyoshi Warrior stood up.

"I guess I better go to bed, too. Thank you for the meal, ma'am."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hope you guys liked the chapter. Once again, sorry for the wait. Oh, I typed the Epilogue the other day! So I know how everything's gonna end. **

**Oh, do you guys think Zuko and Suki are in character? For some reason, it feels like they aren't. Zuko's difficult to write -.- **

**I hope you guys like my OC's so far. Please review! I barely got any last chapter!!**


	6. The Crystal Village

**Author's Note: Ok, I finished the full outline for this story. There are 35 Chapters total, including the Epilogue. More may be added on as the story grows. What do you guys think about a sequel, too?**

**This is also the first chapter where Aang and the others get some action...**

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender!

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 6: The Crystal Village_

Zuko rolled over, unable to sleep. His thoughts plagued him again. He kept worrying about his Uncle, and if he was alright now. He was in a cold prison cell, deep beneath Ba Sing Se because of him... What if Azula was lying? What if she really_ did_ kill their Uncle?

He turned to look at the Avatar, who was nestled against the bison, completely asleep. He was so weak and so vulnerable right now... If only Zuko had the courage to attack him right now... His hand even twitched in anticipation.

_No, _he silently berated himself. The young boy he was chasing for three years was right there... within his reach and _asleep. _But he knew, deep down, that his Uncle wanted Zuko to make the right choice. And the exiled Prince knew now which was the right choice.

Now, the Avatar was somewhat of an ally. He only wanted to be part of this little group for vengeance against Azula and the father who banished him. No longer would he hunt for the Avatar to restore his honor. Now things were different. He had to help the group that he detested for so long. At the very least, he acknowledged them as powerful fighters. Yes, he knew that from his many encounters with them. These people trusted him enough to let him sleep near them in peace, knowing—_hoping—_he wouldn't attack.

The Avatar respected him only slightly, probably only for making the right choice in helping them. The blind earthbender, Toph, knew she could relate to him and she too believed him. The Water Tribe peasants, on the other hand, didn't trust him at all, and avoided talking to him unless they had to. Every once in a while, the boy would send him distrustful glares. Zuko thought they were annoyingly stubborn. For Agni's sake, even the bison liked him! It was a smart creature, probably remembering Zuko freeing it back under Lake Laogai.

With a small sigh, Zuko finally fell asleep.

* * *

Zuko grunted in annoyance as the bison landed again, for the second time that morning.

"At this rate, we'll never make it to Jihen," he muttered.

"That's probably because of the added weight of the three of you!" Sokka growled. "Appa can't fly for long periods of time with _all _of us!"

"Are you calling me fat!?" Ty Lee yelled, outraged.

Sokka recoiled. "No!"

"Calm down and help us unpack for lunch," Katara said to them, stopping an angry Ty Lee from smacking Sokka in the back of the head. Toph jumped down from the bison, making a small ditch in the ground for a fire pit.

"Hey Twinkletoes," she yelled. "Let's go do some earthbending!"

"But I'm helping Katar—,"

"Just go, Aang. I'm sure Mai or Ty Lee can help," Katara said with a smile, interrupting the airbender. He smiled in return, hopping gracefully off of Appa and running over to his earthbending master.

Not far from camp, Toph was instructing Aang in the ways of earthbending.

"New move today. Take the stance I showed you," the girl ordered. Aang complied, getting in a slightly crouched position with his in an attacking stance. For the most part, they practiced defense, but now Aang was moving onto earthbending attacks. So far, Aang was able to feel vibrations in the earth (up to a certain radius, which was less than half of Toph's) and manipulate boulders. He was unable to procure his own rocks from the ground, instead having to use boulders already unearthed. He was able to anchor his feet into the ground and pull up a small wall to protect himself, and also counter some attacks with strong punches. Also, he could completely cover himself with earth, as he showed in the fight against Azula and Zuko.

"Now pull up a pillar of stone," she said sternly. Aang concentrated, since these were more difficult than boulders since their shape was different. He envisioned the shape, moving his arms in an upward motion slowly, as if lifting something heavy. If he could pull this off, boulders would be easy. Suddenly, a pillar of stone jutted from the ground. Aang grinned triumphantly, then flipped around and pulled up three more, in a straight line towards Toph. She wasn't expecting it, however, and was just barely able to jump out of the way. She pulled up three boulders, sending them all towards Aang. Their little training session had become a duel.

Aang rolled out of the way, unearthing another boulder and sending it towards his master. Somehow, she punched it easily, sending it right back towards him.

"Ah!" he yelled, hastily creating a small stone wall to block the attack. He punched the wall several times, each punch letting out a large rock that flew towards Toph. She smirked and lifted her arms high into the air, pulling up the ground where Aang stood. He jumped up and stomped his feet, easily cracking the stone and falling through. As the smoke cleared, he saw a gigantic boulder flying towards him. The Avatar took a defensive stance, taking the boulder head-on like Toph told him. He brought his leg up, bringing it down in an axe kick on the boulder, shattering it. He was panting by now.

Toph, however, was fine. "Katara's done with lunch."

"That was a good fight, Sifu Toph," Aang said, bowing with a goofy smile on his face.

"You're getting better," Toph complimented. "But you're still not as good as me!" The two laughed together, and walked back to the campsite.

Ty Lee suddenly popped up out of nowhere. "That was some impressive bending!"

"Um... thanks," Aang said, scratching the back of his head. He sat down by the fire, right next to Sokka.

"So... how far away is Jihen?" asked the Avatar.

"Erm... just a few... days... away," Sokka said between mouthfuls. They ate in silence, pondering about what to do when they got to the rebel city. When they finished, they quickly packed up and got back on Appa.

* * *

A few hours later, they were still flying. The day slowly passed without anything interesting going on, as most of them lay bored on top of the bison.

"So... bored!" Sokka exclaimed, falling on his back with his arms out.

"Wait a minute, what's that?" Katara asked, pointing to the ground. Zuko spared a glance downwards, and was surprised when he saw a bright flash, almost as intense as the sun.

"What _is _that?" Ty Lee asked, completely perplexed by such a thing.

"Well, let's land and see," Mai muttered.

"Yeah... it looks interesting and Appa needs to rest again anyway," Aang said, telling his faithful bison to land. As they got closer to the thing, they saw it was a gigantic crystal, surrounded by a village. It was in the middle of a valley, lush with all kinds of vegetation. Appa landed a safe distance away from the village, so they could avoid being seen. They were now in a green forest, filled with all kinds of wildlife and brightly colored flowers.

"Wow... it's so nice here..." Katara said in awe, picking a blue flower and putting it in her hair.

"Well, let's go," Toph said, clearly not interested. Zuko understood why. She couldn't see all these colors.

They arrived at the village gates in a matter of minutes. Zuko looked around nervously—there were Fire Nation soldiers everywhere. It was a tiny village, but cozy and welcoming, if you took out the soldiers. The group walked towards the center of the village, looking at the crystal with interest. Only Zuko, Mai, and Toph weren't intrigued by the bright green crystal.

"It kinda reminds me of the crystals under Ba Sing Se," Ty Lee pondered, with a hand on her chin.

"Yes, but it's bigger... and nicer," Katara said.

"Ah, yes..." a voice suddenly said. It was one of the villagers. "That crystal is a special gift to our village."

"From who?" Aang asked.

"The Gods." Sokka stumbled in disbelief. "This land used to be barren and desolate. The earth couldn't support any life, and the drought was terrible." The woman seemed to enjoy telling this story, looking at the crystal in admiration.

"There are Gods?" Katara asked, interested.

"Yes, Gods of each of the elements. Where do you think they came from?" The woman asked her, as if everyone knew it.

"Um...well..."

"There is Qi Rang, the God of earth, Gai Nian, Goddess of water, Xiao, Goddess of air, and Agni, god of fire. We received the crystal from the God of earth."

Zuko's eyes widened at the mention of Agni. He heard that name before, it came from Agni Kai!

"So when we received the crystal, the land immediately burst to life. Our ancestors came to live here, and they've been here for two hundred years now," the woman said excitedly. "But... the Fire Nation invaded and we couldn't fight back," she added in a whisper.

Zuko looked around at the mention of the Fire Nation. It was a wonder that they didn't recognize any of the teens yet. But they were all gone. He nudged the closest person to him with his foot, which happened to be the idiot Water Tribe boy.

"What was that for!?" Sokka yelled.

"The soldiers are gone," Zuko said through grit teeth. _Why do I bother?_

The warrior looked around nervously, and turned to Zuko with a death glare. "You told them about us!"

"What!" Of all things, they thought he betrayed them already. The rest of the group turned to the two with confusion written on their faces. "I did _not _tell them anything!"

"What are you guys yelling about!?" Katara screamed.

"Guys, we got trouble," Toph warned, getting into a battle stance. Sokka and Katara looked up from their arguing, while Zuko turned, expecting to see Fire Nation troops. He wasn't wrong.

All of the soldiers were back, with an Admiral leading them. He was a small man with barely any muscle, which was uncharacteristic of firebenders. Zuko's eyes widened. He remembered this man.

"Be careful," he warned the Avatar and his friends. "That man is Admiral Piza. He doesn't look like much, but he's a powerful bender." The exiled Prince drew his broadswords.

"Ooh, looks like I hit the jackpot today!" the Admiral said with an almost girlish enthusiasm. He was a madman; he used mostly bending to win his fights, and he was really good at it. He didn't even wear regular Fire Nation armor, instead opting to choose heavy black robes. They were decorated with gold embroidery, meeting with crimson thread near his shoulders and cuffs. Flames decorated his back, extending all the way to the hem of his robes. Zuko absently wondered why his father put up with this crazy man. "Get them!"

Zuko wondered how this man got into the military when he acted like this. Then he remembered. Piza was some distant cousin of Ursa's. The Prince groaned. He was _related _to this man?

Zuko dashed up to the Admiral with his broadswords, cutting through the soldiers in his way. When Piza saw him, he grinned widely. "Oh, it's you, Zuko! You're with these traitors?"

Zuko slashed at the Admiral, who jumped out of the way with surprising agility. Piza wagged a finger at him. "Ah, ah, ah. You're not fighting me today, boy!"

The soldiers converged on him, jabbing him with their spears while he agilely blocked their attacks. With two fingers hanging off the hilts of his swords, he created streams of fire that threw some of the soldiers out of his way. Another soldier lunged at him with his spear, and Zuko cut the weapon in half, then jumped up and kicked the man in the gut, sending him flying. He parried weapons all around him, slowly becoming overwhelmed. He swept his foot out, unleashing a low arc of fire at all of the soldiers around him. Sheathing his broadswords, he got into a bending stance. With his middle and index finger, he let out jets of fire that threw many of the soldiers off their feet. That done, he surveyed his surroundings.

* * *

Aang was also surrounded by soldiers. A couple of them were firebenders, however, and Aang threw gusts of air at them, while spinning his staff and blocking some of their fire blasts. He stomped his foot and a pillar of stone jutted from the ground, sending a warrior into the air, and then coming down painfully. He slung his staff on his back, and then pulled water from his flask, using it to defend himself from most of the attacks thrown at him. He expanded it, making a water wall in front of him, thrusting it out and bowling all of the soldiers over.

Another soldier came up behind him, getting him into a headlock. "Hey! Lemme go!" The man didn't listen to him, so the Avatar pushed up the ground behind him, sending the soldier flying over his head. Many of the soldiers surrounded him again; angry looks on their faces and weapons in hand. Aang smiled sheepishly, and got on his air scooter, barreling through them. He sped towards the side of the valley, going up high into the air. He turned around and dropped to the ground at an insane speed, smacking his staff as he fell. A huge gust of wind threw all of the soldiers off their feet, sending them flying into buildings or even the crystal, falling unconscious. Oddly, one soldier still stood, looking at the Avatar fearfully.

Suddenly, a white figure came out of nowhere and collided with the soldier's head, knocking him into the ground.

"Thanks, Momo," Aang said to his lemur, who screeched triumphantly. More soldiers emerged from behind buildings, weapons in hand. "There's no end to them!"

"That's because there's an Outpost nearby!" the Admiral shouted gleefully, watching the battle unfold. "Now capture the Avatar! Capture the Fire Prince! Kill all the rest!"

The soldiers leapt into action, hurling fireballs at Aang or coming up to him with their weapons. Suddenly, boulders came from nowhere and threw a lot of them to the ground. Toph arrived on the scene, kicking her feet out at the soldiers and twisting them into the ground, pulling all soldiers under. Most of them toppled to the ground at the shift in balance, unable to move their legs. Aang joined her, easily copying the new move, even getting most of the soldiers already unconscious.

* * *

Katara, Sokka, Ty Lee, and Mai battled together, making a good team. Katara was glad to not be fighting against the two girls for once. Mai was easily incapacitating most of the soldiers with her throwing knives, getting them in the arms or the legs. Ty Lee, as usual, was flipping through the battle, rendering the enemy benders useless. Sokka was dispatching many of the soldiers with his club, making them fall to the ground quite unconscious.

To put it simply, Katara thought that Piza was a very creepy person. He had a very girly voice, which was odd for a Fire Nation man. It seemed more like... it was a mix of male and female, joining together to make a _very _weird voice. He seemed like a madman, enjoying the blood that was spilled (which was mostly his own men's) and letting out a small cheer every time. Katara shivered, and it was not from the ice she was currently bending to cut the soldier in front of her.

She bent the water circling her to thrust towards the soldier, repeatedly pushing him backwards with the force of a heavy rock. She wasn't able to do her more impressive moves with so little water. Two more came towards her, and she lashed out with a water whip, while a boomerang flew through the air and struck the other one. A spear lunged towards her, and she reared back, just barely avoiding it. Her water condensed into a small but compact sphere, and then flew towards the man, striking him in the gut and making him bend over. With one quick punch to his unarmored head, he fell.

She watched Ty Lee move like water herself, easily bending through the numerous soldiers around her and jabbing them in their pressure points, causing them to fall to the ground, unable to move. Mai was now in close combat, using two knives to slash some of the soldiers around her. She looked awkward doing it, and she was only doing it for defense since the soldiers closed in on her. She saw Ty Lee working her way towards her friend, flipping once and falling into a powerful kick that made two soldiers topple. Mai escaped through the opening, going to a safe distance and resumed throwing her knives.

More and more soldiers came into the town, but the Avatar's group was getting too tired. Their moves slowly became more sluggish, and more attacks got through to them. They wouldn't be able to keep this up too much longer...

* * *

Suddenly, the soldiers closed in on all of them and held them all with weapons up to their throats. The group was simply outnumbered, and too tired from fighting continuously. Piza came to the middle of it all and clapped his hands.

"Bravo, bravo! That was a very interesting show!" The Admiral had an eerie smile on his face as he looked over all of the fighters. "Now which one will die first...?"

Piza paced by all of them, inspecting them closely. "Aha! Fire Prince Zuko! I almost forgot! I have a message for you..."

"What?" Zuko spat.

"Oh, don't be rude or I won't tell you!" The soldier was pulling his hair painfully as the sharp weapon was laid against his throat.

"Alright, fine!"

"That's better. Now, your father said that you may return home! It's time to quit your spying on the Avatar. Little Princess Azula wants you with her again, back in the capital city! Isn't that great?" Piza said excitedly, while sending a venomous glare to Zuko.

"Zuko!" Katara yelled. "I should've known! All this time, you came with us just to spy!"

Zuko was outraged. They think he betrayed them _again?_

"Wait a minute," Toph said. "I can't tell if the Admiral is lying or not!"

"Oh?" Piza said, intrigued, as he walked up to look Toph in the eye. "A blind girl! And you can fight? How fascinating! How about I put you out of your misery first?"

"Seems you still get distracted easily, Piza," Zuko remarked, gritting his teeth in pain. Piza immediately rounded on him.

"Oh, yes. The message. So, what is your choice? Come with _us..._" He smiled widely. "Or stay with the traitors."

"Let me go," he said simply. Piza nodded to the soldier holding him, and Zuko fell.

"Good choice," Piza said. "Now, kill all but the Avatar."

Zuko roared, sending his fist in a wild punch towards the girly man. It hit him right on the nose, and he recoiled in pain. "Ouch! My nose! What did you do to my face...!"

Zuko sent jets of fire from his palms towards all of the soldiers around him, spinning in a wild kick that caused all of the soldiers to fall over. Flames were everywhere now, licking at many of the soldiers and some of the homes. There were much fewer soldiers than before, and many of them fled from Zuko's rage.

"This is not the last you'll hear from me, Prince Zuko!" Piza yelled, running away with the rest of his soldiers.

"Cowards," Zuko muttered.

"Pretty good bending," Toph said, suddenly coming forward. "So, tell me. Were you really spying on us?"

"No."

"Alright Katara, Piza was lying."

The waterbender stood near the crystal, staring at Zuko with her arms crossed. "Well, I still don't trust him."

Many of the villagers emerged from their homes, looking at the group that saved them in wonder.

"You freed our village!"

"Thank you!"

"Hurray!"

"The Fire Nation is finally gone from our homes!"

"Hurray!" Most of the cheers went on for several minutes, with everyone thanking mostly the Avatar. Zuko felt uncomfortable around all of these people. Last time he saved someone with firebending, he was shunned and banished from a village for it. These people surely saw his bending, since they saw the Avatar using three elements. It actually kind of felt nice to be thanked so greatly.

"Our crystal is safe," the woman from before said. "For years, the Fire Nation has wanted it."

"Why?" Sokka asked.

"It supplies us with food, water, and a beautiful valley! They've wanted to steal it and hoard it all to themselves."

"They want to replenish the Fire Nation's lands," Zuko said quietly.

"You're Fire Nation, aren't you?" the woman asked. He nodded slowly, putting his head down in shame. "Well, you are correct. Most of the Fire Nation is barren and dead. It is one of the many reasons why they invaded one hundred years ago."

Zuko was shocked. She didn't care that he was from the Fire Nation?

"Please, Avatar. Spend the night in our village, it is the least we can do to repay you," she offered. Aang looked to his friends, who nodded eagerly.

"Sure, we'd love to."

* * *

It was a quiet trip, for the most part. Nodoka wasn't a big talker, and Suki hoped for someone to talk to. She tried repeatedly to get to know her new traveling companion, and she got short and to-the-point answers. The silver-haired warrior only spoke when spoken to.

Fortunately, they made a good team when fighting the more aggressive wildlife. Suki was more proficient with speed and gracefulness, while Nodoka used power in his attacks. He spun his spear through the air with much skill. Amazingly, he did all of this with one hand!

The two left Nodoka's home village of Kaibyaku two days before, packing a large amount of supplies (courtesy of his mother) and getting on their way. His family bade him goodbye, but they seemed as if he adventured often.

So far, she learned that he lived in Kaibyaku all his life, occasionally traveling around and living in the wild. Most of the time, his father came with him, as both of them trained and honed their skills. His father was proficient with many weapons, while Nodoka was a master with the spear. When he was old enough, he and his father joined the Earth Kingdom army, where Nodoka was away for a year before he came back. He brought good news home—his father was fine.

The rest of the time she told him about herself. He was a pretty good listener, and she was desperate for someone to talk to. She told him about her life as a Kyoshi Warrior, and defending her village. She talked about how the Avatar came, and she met an amazing Water Tribe warrior. She told him about how the Kyoshi Warriors helped in the war effort in their own way, and then the tale of the Serpent's Pass, when she last saw Sokka. She also told him about how she was ambushed by the Fire Nation girls and how she protected the Avatar's bison.

He listened, slightly interested (but not showing it) as she told her tale. When she ended, he only said one thing.

"I want to meet the Avatar."

"Well, you will," was what she responded with.

* * *

**Author's Note: Do you like this chapter? Is everyone in character? Are my fights okay? Come on people, I know you're reading it—I just need more feedback!**

**How about I do this... I won't update again until I get at least two reviews! Is that so much to ask? Again, a big thank you to **Duchess192 **for being the only consistent reviewer! You can all review too, guys. It's really great to see a new review in my inbox. **


	7. The Origin of Firebending

**Author's Note: Not as much action in this chapter, but I have more to say at the end of the chapter.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 7: The Origins of Firebending_

The four girls of the group were in their room, talking and attempting to get to know each other more. Toph was lying down on her bed, staring at the ceiling and making little effort to talk. Mai was pretty much doing the same thing.

Katara, on the other hand, was on her knees behind Ty Lee, braiding her hair. The acrobat was chattering incessantly about all kinds of things. The sun had already set, and the boys were off in their own room. Katara felt full of energy, so she wasn't ready to go to bed yet. She felt the moon giving her more strength.

"Ugh, I hate not being on the ground!" Toph complained, banging a fist on her bed. Katara and Ty Lee both shrugged, used to the blind girl's behavior.

"It's actually nice having you two on our side," Katara said to the two Fire Nation girls. "I used to think you were scary, Ty Lee."

"Why?" the acrobat asked her quizzically.

"Having your chi blocked isn't really the best feeling ever..."

"Oh," Ty Lee said, shrugging. "Well, I had to. Azula would kill us if we didn't!"

"Why did you two join up with her anyway?"

"I guess you can say we were friends when we were younger," Mai spoke suddenly.

"But she was always kinda mean," Ty Lee added.

Katara nodded. "I can't believe that girl. She's crazy."

The four were silent for a few moments, until Katara spoke again. "I never thought I'd be friends with the Fire Nation..."

"Not all of us are that bad," Ty Lee said, shrugging.

"You consider us friends?" Mai asked, turning to look at the waterbender.

Katara shrugged. "Yeah, you two are nice and we get along."

"I don't need friends. We came to fight," Mai said plainly, staring up at the ceiling again.

"Mai, that was mean! I'll be your friend, Katara!" Ty Lee yelled, hands on her hips. "Brighten up, Mai. We'll be sticking with them for a while."

"I haven't made a friend in years..." the knife-thrower said quietly.

"You have me!" Ty Lee said, beaming.

"I was talking about you, idiot."

"Well, Katara... Instead of trying to become friends with the boring one, you should try Zuko. He, um, needs a friend," Ty Lee said to her.

"What!? What about you two?" Katara said, surprised and a little angry.

"Heh... Well, Mai is... kinda shy around Zuko. And that guy hates my guts!"

Katara finished braiding the girl's hair, and stood up. "No."

Ty Lee stood up, too. "Get going or I'll block your chi!"

The waterbender crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "You're not very intimidating."

"Oh yeah?"

* * *

Zuko was sitting on his bed, once again lost in thought. The Avatar and the annoying warrior were off to check on the Flying Bison, leaving Zuko alone. He was about to extinguish the lantern and go to sleep when he heard a knock on his door.

"What?" he asked, irritated.

"I need to talk to you," he heard a voice say. It was the waterbender. She sounded strained and her words were forced. She clearly didn't want to come in. He stood up with a sigh and opened the door slowly.

"What?" he repeated. She had an angry look on her face and one hand on her hip. The other was hanging limply at her side. Zuko beckoned her inside.

After she walked in, she turned around to look at him with a penetrating look in her deep, blue eyes. "Why did you help us earlier?"

"Because I couldn't let them take you... all," he answered. There was a quiet tension between the two for a few moments, until Katara sighed.

"I'm... sorry..."

"For what?"

"For yelling at you. You deserved it, but I guess you really do want to help us now." She closed her eyes. "It's kind of hard... but I guess I'll have to accept that you're with us now."

An awkward silence hung in the room, until Zuko, for once, decided to break it. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh, this?" she said, looking at her limb, which was still hanging limply. "Ty Lee."

He raised an eyebrow. "I... want to go to sleep, now."

Katara let out a breath of relief, and walked to the door. Before she stepped out, she turned to him again. "I'll still have to keep an eye on you."

Zuko nodded as she left to her own room. They still didn't trust him. Not that he expected them to.

* * *

The next morning, the group was in the middle of the village, not far from the crystal. Some of the villagers came out to bid them goodbye. As they were about to fly away from Appa, the woman from the day before ran up to them.

"Wait! Avatar!" she cried.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, hopping off of the bison.

"We'd like you to have this," she said, holding up a shining gem. It shined with the same green color as the huge crystal.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It is a piece of the great crystal. Maybe... it will help you along your journey. Some people believe it has many unknown powers. Perhaps the Gods will aid you through this..." She handed it to him. Aang was surprised—it was the size of his palm.

"Be safe!"

"Good luck!"

"Knock out some Fire Nation soldiers for us!"

"Goodbye!"

As the group flew away on Appa, they saw the Crystal's glowing intensify for a moment, as if it too were saying goodbye.

"So do you think the Fire Nation will attack that village again?" Katara asked them, once they were some distance away from the village.

"I hope not..." Aang said, while admiring the green stone in his hand. It shone much like the original crystal did.

"Saving another village... All in a day's work," Sokka said, putting his arms behind his head. Ty Lee giggled.

"What is that?" someone said. They all turned to the speaker, which turned out to be Mai, surprisingly. She seemed genuinely curious about something as she looked down below.

Katara looked over the edge, not seeing anything for a few moments. On the side of the valley was a giant creature, long and serpent-like. "Wait a minute, that's a..."

"Dragon..." Zuko said in awe, finishing for her. "She seems hurt."

Aang made Appa descend, heading right towards it.

"Wait, don't land! Don't listen to Zuko!" Sokka yelled, waving his arms at the airbender.

"You heard him. The Dragon is hurt."

"Dragons...are...dangerous!" Sokka retorted.

"She won't hurt us, fool. Many Dragons are docile, and have no interest in humans," Zuko said to him.

"I can heal it," Katara said. The bison landed near the creature, which didn't look alarmed at their arrival. Katara approached it slowly.

"Katara! Be careful!" Sokka shouted.

"Don't yell! You might make her scared," she whispered angrily. Its long whiskers twitched as she arrived, and its large, yellow eyes gazed over her. It was longer than three Appas, and covered in jet black scales.

"It looks like Avatar Roku's Dragon..." Aang said in awe. Its teeth were even more fearsome, however. Its long, leathery wings were outstretched to Katara, who slowly and carefully walked up to it, wearing a glove of glowing water.

"What did this to you...?" she wondered aloud, staring at the rip in its wing. Suddenly, one of its long whiskers stretched over to her, lightly touching her forehead. She received a vision, where she saw the Dragon flying freely over trees, right in the same valley that they were in. She was young and carefree, seeming to have fun as it flew through the sky. Carelessly, it descended into the trees, where she ripped her wing and was barely able to drag herself out. "You poor thing..." Katara said. She held her glowing hand delicately over the wing, as her water was absorbed into the creature and the leathery membrane was knit back together.

"I didn't know Dragons existed," Sokka said, staring wide-eyed at the creature in front of them.

"Of course they do," Zuko shot at him. "They are an important part of what little culture my Nation has left."

"Where have they been? How come no one ever sees them anymore?" Aang asked. Appa approached the creature, blowing some soft air at it. She responded with hot air, and Appa grunted.

"They are rare creatures, made of magical energy. It was probably drawn here by the Crystal, since she sensed its magic..." Zuko said, approaching the dragon himself and touching its black scales. "Firebenders learned from Dragons in ancient times."

"I thought you learned from the sun," Toph suddenly said.

Zuko shook his head. "The sun gives us power. How do you expect us to learn from a glowing ball of light in the sky?" He said a little harshly. Katara looked at the Fire Prince oddly. It was kind of nice to see a new, informative side of Zuko. It was kind of unnerving, too.

_He must really respect his culture, _she thought. The healing was finished, and she took her hand away from the Dragon's wing. She let out a mighty roar, and several of them jumped back. It unfurled its wings fully, leaping into the sky and flying away, roaring again in thanks. Katara smiled.

After a short pause, Sokka spoke. "I have to admit, that was pretty cool."

"What happened to ferocious dragons? You know... Grr!" Ty Lee said, holding her fingers out like claws and growling.

Sokka glanced at her oddly. "Seriously, how old is this girl?"

"Old enough to kick your butt!"

"Is that a challenge?" Sokka asked, drawing his club.

"Duh!" Ty Lee flipped over to him, jabbing at his shoulders. The warrior just barely dodged each attack, making sure to keep his pressure points away from the girl. Suddenly, Ty Lee seemed to decide to cut the battle short... by kneeing him. Somewhere.

"Ouch," Aang said, cringing.

"Cheap shot!" Sokka said shrilly, rolling on the floor in pain. "This isn't fair! Fine, I'll admit it! Girls _can _be tougher than guys! Now leave me alone!"

Ty Lee "hmphed," and flipped her braid in Sokka's direction. "For the record, I'm fourteen!"

"When will he learn?" Katara muttered, smacking her forehead.

"Well... Let's go," Aang said shrugging, giving his friend a hand.

"Note to self—don't make Ty Lee angry," Sokka muttered. Aang nodded in agreement.

* * *

"So, Zuko convinced Mai and Ty Lee to betray me?" Azula said to herself, examining her nails. She was sitting bored on the Earth King's throne, plotting what she would do. "Time to pay a visit to my dear old Uncle."

Azula stood up, deciding to go down to the prison cells herself. "Iroh will make the perfect hostage for getting Zuzu to come back home... in a nice, cold cell. Yes..."

She received a message earlier that day from Admiral Piza, saying he spotted her brother with the Avatar. "That traitor... Well, at least I'll be able to get them both easily."

Her plan was to use Iroh as bait, or a hostage, or to use for a trade, whichever she preferred at the time. Unfortunately, she'd have to travel without her crew, but last time, that seemed to work. All she'd need was General Iroh. Yes, and he'd grasp at the chance for escape like the weakling he was. She walked through the halls of the Ba Sing Se Palace alone, watched by servants and Dai Li agents, who all trembled in fear.

"The plan is foolproof," she said out loud. "Open." The Dai Li agents on guard over the prisoners nodded solemnly, using earthbending to open the way to the prison cells. As she entered, all of the prisoners were silent, except for one.

"Oh, hello Azula," Iroh said cheerfully. "What a surprise."

"Yes, but I'm afraid this will be even more surprising. I'm off to find Zuko and the Avatar, and you are coming with me," she said, examining her nails with the hint of a smirk on her face.

"Why me?"

"Wouldn't you be happy to see your nephew again?"

"Yes, but is it the wisest thing to do? You aren't as smart as I thought."

"Are you questioning me? You are just a traitor, you should consider this an honor," the ruthless firebender said, blue fire lighting up in her palm.

"Well, let me out then," Iroh said simply.

"Guards." The Dai Li complied with her unsaid order, letting the Ex-General out of his cell.

"This will be easier than I thought," the Princess whispered.

* * *

"Long Feng sir, they've left the Palace," the Dai Li agent said to his leader, sitting in a prison cell.

"Excellent, let me out," he ordered. "Who did she put in charge?"

"A man by the name of Suji. He's in the Dai Li, and loyal to you, sir," the Dai Li agent said, letting his leader out of the cell. Long Feng stretched his limbs.

"Good. Arrange transport to Sozin City. It is time for me to offer my services to the Fire Lord."

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter. I had minor writer's block. Oh, and about the Zuko/Katara romance—it takes time. She still thinks of him as an evil firebending jerk, remember? I look at it this way. First, she has to accept him as part of their group, then think of him as a friend, then trust him, and finally, fall in love with him. So, as you can imagine, it'll be a long road. But don't worry, along the way, I'll put some scenes hinting at it :)**

**Before anyone asks, Sokka will be with Suki. End of story. Ty Lee, well, you'll see.**

**What do you guys say to two more reviews till next chapter? Lol, sorry! I'd like to give a huge thanks to: **Tefnut Talvi, Duchess192, **and **MadnessinmyMethod. **Reviews make me happy :)**

**Oh, and once again, sorry that the chapter's so short! It's kind of a filler chapter, I guess. The biggest things were Azula and Long Feng. Also, remember that crystal the woman gave them, it'll come back eventually.**


	8. Return to the Swamp

**Author's Note: Um... heh. Well, I just got grounded. That means no computer. I don't know how long that's gonna last, because they haven't decided yet. Possibly a week, which isn't too bad for you guys. If longer, well, I'll figure out what to do.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

**A huge thanks to: **Duchess 192, MadnessinmyMethod, BlueChic, **and **AnimeAngel90.

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 8: Return to the Swamp_

"Come on, Twinkletoes!"

"I'm trying!"

"Well, TRY HARDER!"

Ty Lee giggled at the two earthbenders training not too far away, while the rest of the group was packing up the camp.

The ground shook as the two benders dueled, rocks clashing and tumbling. Toph was clearly winning—she wasn't even breaking a sweat as she threw Aang up into the air. Before he landed, she pulled up a circle of jagged rocks in the direction he was falling. She was expecting him to suddenly glide around it, or use airbending to destroy them. She was surprised when he came down on them hard, punching them with his fist and sending them flying dangerously in all directions. Toph smirked. He was getting better.

Aang landed firmly, and then quickly got into a bending stance. He kicked up several boulders from the ground, punching them all towards Toph, who returned them just as easily. Once again, he stood his ground and let the boulders hit him in the arm, breaking them clean in half. The Avatar lifted his staff and smacked it against the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth that even caught the Blind Bandit off guard. She quickly retaliated, punching into the ground, as a jagged rock jutted up with each strike. Aang jumped from them all, running towards her to fight like a true earthbender.

Before he could reach her, Toph used a pillar of stone to bring her high into the air, using the height advantage to hurl stones at him. Aang caught her off guard again with a single swing of his staff, cutting the pillar in half and sending her back to the ground, where she landed with a tremor that threw Aang off his feet. She stomped her foot, causing the ground under Aang to ripple and push him back up, so she could continue beating him. She smiled.

He slung his staff back on his back, using his arms for easier earthbending. He pulled up fragments of earth to keep her busy, while readying a bigger attack that involved the stone wall behind her. Toph thrashed at the rocks, none the wiser to the attack that was about to be pulled off behind her. Well, it seemed like she didn't know. Suddenly, as Aang started the rock slide, she pulled up a dome of earth around her, completely protecting herself from the attack. Even though she wasn't visible, she had an advantage.

A couple of stray boulders came together to form a stone man, that swung his arms dangerously at Aang. The boulders that were its head, arms, legs, and torso constantly revolved, keeping balance. Aang knew Toph controlled all of its moves, while staying safely hidden under her rock dome. Aang jumped out of the way, ready to go all out on the thing. Two slabs of stones were at its side, coming together dangerously fast to crush it. It worked, and the boulders fell apart. Toph's dome accompanied it. She clapped her hands.

"You're getting a lot better. You're not too far from being a master."

Aang was slumped over, panting with his hands on his knees. "You're... impossible to defeat!"

"That's because I'm the best earthbender in the world!" she boasted. "Now let's go. Sugarqueen wants to leave."

"How come whenever we're alone you try to avoid talking to me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I dunno. You're always walking away to do something else whenever we're not doing anything."

"Um... do you _want _to talk to me about something?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, nothing in particular. Just to talk," Aang said, shrugging. She shook her head and sighed, walking back to camp.

* * *

An hour later, the group was in the air, once again, completely bored. Currently, they were flying over a dense forest, which had a low hanging mist over it like a huge blanket. It looked vaguely familiar to Katara. She was staring into its depths, unblinking.

"Katara!" Sokka yelled, interrupting her stupor.

"What?" she asked, irritated.

"You're leaning _far _over Appa. You were going to fall," he said, crossing his arms. "I'm so _sorry _for worrying."

She suddenly remembered where she had seen this place before. "Aang! We're over the swamp!"

"What?" he asked, suddenly halting Appa. He looked over the edge. "Oh yeah!"

"Huh? What swamp?" Toph asked.

"We went there once, not long before we met you," Katara explained. "Aang, let's learn how to bend plants! Maybe that ability will be useful to us?"

"I don't know," Aang said, shrugging. "Do you think the Fire Lord is gonna have potted plants in his Throne Room?"

Zuko snorted.

"Well, no, but it might be useful. Especially in areas like this! We'll be able to fight anywhere, you know?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Sokka yelled, waving his arms. "We are _not _going back there! That place gives me the creeps."

Ty Lee's head bobbed back and forth between the three arguing friends.

"Swamps are disgusting," Mai said, as if it were the last thing she'd ever want to do.

"Well, I guess it won't hurt to learn," Aang said.

"What about going to Jihen?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah, what about Jihen?" Sokka asked. Everyone paused, and Sokka shook his head madly, and stared at Zuko. "You're... _agreeing_ with me?"

Appa descended slowly, finding a clear spot to land. "Maybe we'll find out the swamp mysteries!" Aang said optimistically. Katara looked around warily as they lowered to the ground.

"No sign of any tornados," she said.

"Tornados?" Ty Lee asked, scratching her head. "Here?" Aang, Sokka, and Katara nodded.

"We'll all have to stay together this time until we get to the Foggy Swamp Tribe," Aang declared.

The bison landed not far from the heart of the swamp, and looked around cautiously. There were no people, no animals, and no insect noises. It was eerily quiet.

"Where is everybody?" Sokka asked.

"Uh... Let's try the big tree," Aang suggested. As they walked, Aang spoke to Zuko. "You know, I learned something here, the last time we came."

"You learn something new everyday," Zuko said, obviously not caring.

"The man here said that everything is connected," Aang continued, ignoring Zuko. "We are all the same people, just separated by the different nations. Just like this whole swamp is just one tree. That one." Aang pointed to the titanic tree, where they were going.

Aang left him alone when Zuko was silently lost in thought.

The group stumbled through the overgrown swamp, tripping over stray roots and sinking into puddles of water. Once the heart of the swamp was in plain sight, they had many scratches on their faces.

"There he is!" Sokka announced, pointing to a tiny figure sitting on the gigantic roots. Now, they climbed, trying to reach this man.

"Hello, Avatar," Huu said as they reached him. He had a wide smile on his face, as always.

"Hello, Huu," Aang said, bowing.

"I see you've gathered many more friends! Nice to meet you all!"

A few grunts of acknowledgement went through them, particularly Toph, Zuko, and Mai.

"What brings you back to these parts?" Huu asked them.

"We would... like to learn plant bending. We figured it would help us on our journey," Katara said, also bowing.

The old man sighed. "Now that... that is a dangerous art."

"Huh?" Aang, Katara, and Sokka said.

"Only the most trusted waterbenders know that ability, because when it is used in the wrong hands, a person can do terrible things. It is what makes waterbending the most dangerous, and powerful element."

"Why? They're just plants," Sokka scoffed.

"Yes, that may be so, but you wouldn't understand," Huu said, shaking his head.

"What? Tell us," Katara said. "We are waterbending masters, and he is the Avatar! You can trust us with the ability."

Huu sighed. "Alright. Let's go down into the swamp."

* * *

A few minutes later, the group, plus Huu, was settled in a tiny clearing, surrounded by vines and trees. It was considerably moister than the rest of the swamp.

"Now, here is one final warning. Plants aren't the only thing that can be used as vessels," Huu said, and then he clapped his hands. "Alright, let's do this."

He sat down in a meditative position. "Now, what is the first thing you notice about plants?"

"They're green?" Aang asked.

"Well, yes, but that's not what I'm looking for."

"I eat them? They're living things?"

"Aha!" Huu said, pointing at Aang. Katara looked confused. "And since they're living things, what do they need?"

"Oh! All plants need water!" Katara yelled, pointing a finger up in the air.

"I wanted to say it," Aang grumbled.

"Exactly," Huu said. "Bending plants is much simpler than it looks. You just need to feel the water inside the plant, and move it around to your will. First, locate the wa-,"

"I got it," Aang interrupted. A vine was snaking around him, coiling up and rising into the air. His hands moved slowly, controlling every motion. "This is easy."

Katara grumbled. _She _mastered waterbending first, why couldn't she get it? She closed her eyes, sending out her consciousness to feel all of the plants around her. _There they are! _She thought, finding the particles of water inside all of the plants. Water was everywhere—in the plants, the ground, and even the air! She grasped the particles of water in the plants, using them to move the vine they were in. Suddenly, the vine exploded, shooting out green bits everywhere.

"Ugh! Why isn't this working?" Katara yelled, dropping her hands.

"You aren't doing it right," Huu said, pointing out the obvious.

"What am I doing wrong?"

"Think of the vine... as your clothing!" Huu said.

"My... clothing?"

"Yes. When you walk, you don't move your clothing willingly, correct?"

"Um... I guess."

Huu sighed. "Sorry, bad example. See if you can get it though. You see, you move your body, and your clothing moves along with it. In plant bending, you move the water and the plant moves along with it! Get it? What you were trying to do is get the water to force the plant to move."

Katara tried again, just attempting to get the water to move around. To her surprise, it worked, and the vine awkwardly moved over to her. She scrunched her eyes, trying to steady it and let it move smoothly. It settled out, and the vine snaked over to her. "I did it!"

"Good, now can we leave?" Sokka asked, bored. All of them were sitting around, watching the 'class' with little interest.

"Now what do you guys say to a three-way duel?" Huu asked.

"Huh? I just learned how to bend a single vine," Katara said.

"Aw, it's easy. Once you get the basic idea, you can control a lot of vines. Though, I don't expect you to make a swamp monster as big as me!" Huu yelled, as hundreds of vines snaked towards him, coiling around him and covering the swamp man completely. He looked the exact same as when they first met him, except without the mask. In place of it was his face.

Aang mimicked it, running into the clearing covered in vines, but not nearly as much as Huu. He was a much smaller version, not even adding height to himself. His whole body was covered except for his head. Katara did the same.

Huu started off the attack, swinging one of his massive arms at Aang. Aang threw up his now larger arms to block, and the more experienced man's vines tangled with Aang's. Huu grabbed him this way, and threw him high into the air.

Katara made a sort of water whip with the vines, using the same technique she usually did to hack at the monster's soft body. Aang suddenly came out of nowhere, attacking her from behind. He mimicked her move, using the vines as a whip. Katara, completely surrounded, fanned out all the vines covering her body. She spun rapidly, causing the vines to spin like a vortex, whipping anything within reach. It pushed both of her 'opponents' away. As she stopped, she pulled the vines to her body again, slightly dazed from her attack.

The older waterbender came back, lifting his monstrous arms and causing vines from around her to constrict her. She tried to break free, pulling with all her strength. Aang suddenly came back into the clearing, ramming Huu and throwing him away. Katara, now freed, turned to face her former pupil. She lashed out with a vine, grabbing him around the waist and getting ready to throw him. With one of his arm-vines, he cut the connection. Katara decided to use another of her regular waterbending moves—the Octopus. Green tentacles sprouted all around her, stretching out to whip Aang away. The Avatar moved all of the vines to his arms, completely enlarging them (Katara had to admit, it looked pretty funny on his smaller body). With extra reach, Aang began smacking them at Katara.

Huu reentered the battle, and ended it, by grabbing them both and holding them high in the air, and bringing them together forcefully.

"Good job," Huu complimented with a smile. His two pupils returned it. "You two learned that ability very fast."

"Thank you," the two of them said, bowing gratefully.

"I believe you two can change the world with those abilities of yours. All of you are strong. I can feel it," Huu said, closing his eyes.

"Um... I have one question," Katara said. The old man's eyes flicked open. "Can you bend trees, too?"

He shook his head. "Trees are much too hard, and their bark doesn't let us. But you can control flowers, vines, shrubs, young trees, leaves..."

"So... did we master the ability?" Aang asked hopefully.

"Eh, not yet. But you don't need me coachin' ya through it. Just practice every once in a while, like you practice everything."

"Okay. Good. Let's go," Sokka said, eager to leave.

* * *

"Can we stop and have some tea?"

"No," Azula growled. _That old man is getting _really _annoying._

"Well when can we? You've never tried my tea, have you?"

"Do you want to die?"

"Is that how you respect your elderly?" Iroh asked, turning to her.

"You are a traitor. And thus, I will treat you that way," Azula said coldly.

"Is that all that matters to you? Traitors and supporters?"

"Yes," she said, sneering. "There is no need to be _nice _to anyone. I am a Princess. I expect to be treated like that."

"And I am a General. If it weren't for... certain things... I would be Fire Lord, and have control over _you_."

Azula smirked. "Is that a threat? Are you planning to overthrow the Fire Lord?"

"No, no. Of course not. He is my brother. You are just like Zuko—you put your Nation first," Iroh said, staring at the setting sun.

"Don't you _dare _compare me to Zuko. He is a traitor."

Iroh shrugged. "Let's go to that town."

"Why would we do that?"

"Then maybe we could find some kind of transport, or some kind of help."

"I wouldn't _need _that if you didn't come," she sneered. "I could have gotten a mongoose-dragon."

"Azula, you don't think! You wanted me to come! I can't ride those crazy things anyway," Iroh said, frustrated.

"Fine then, let's go to town," she seethed, marching up to the town gates. As she entered, Fire Nation troops bowed down, and one of the higher ranking ones asked what she was doing. Iroh followed her in, apologizing to the soldiers they passed.

"Now where can we find... _help_?" she spat, lacing the word 'help' with venom.

"Taverns are usually good," Iroh suggested. The sadistic girl kicked the door open, silencing everyone inside. She was small, but she looked powerful, and everyone knew this.

"I need a bounty hunter," she yelled. "Someone to hunt the Avatar. You will be paid _very _well," she said with a smirk. Everyone looked at her in fear, except for one. She stood up. Iroh gasped.

"I'll do it," she said. "I have something to settle with the Avatar, anyway."

"Jun! So _good _to see you again!" Iroh said, rushing up to the girl with a smile on his face. She just ignored him.

"Good," Azula said. "I know of your skills."

"What will I do? Do you have anything to track him with?" Jun asked, fingering her whip.

"No, we don't," Iroh said.

"Then how will I track him?" As she said this, Azula tossed her a bag of gold coins. Jun smirked. It was heavy.

"Do it the old fashioned way," Azula said, walking away. "When you get him, bring him to Ba Sing Se. And... by the way, that is half of what you'll get when you bring the Avatar back."

"You mean we're not traveling with her?" Iroh asked, sounding much like a small child.

"No, we aren't."

* * *

"Nice one, Jin," Shuang complimented, as he froze a man to the wall.

"Thanks," she smiled, parrying an attack. Shuang smiled back. With his training, the girl was rapidly improving with the katana, easily able to deal with lesser soldiers, and even some of the tougher ones on occasion.

A couple of jagged rocks sent another soldier smacking against the wall, followed by a boulder bashing the other one around.

"Hey, Haru! Nice of you to show up!" he yelled to his friend.

The earthbender laughed. "Sorry, but you guys keep running off together, always leaving me behi--"

"Shut up!" Shuang said, blushing madly. Jin giggled. Together, the three of them formed their own sort of rebellion. Between training and getting to know each other, the three of them went around town, fighting off Fire Nation soldiers that were bullying other people. Not only were they helping people, they were really improving in their different skills, since neither of them had any masters. When Shuang requested to leave Master Pakku and his group, the old man was angry at him for abandoning his people and his training. Shuang personally didn't care—as long as he had his new friends.

Jin gave up going to Jihen to join a rebellion—she felt that she was doing more for the people right here, in Bai Bai. Haru felt the same, choosing to abandon his earthbending training for now.

"Jin, look out!" Shuang shouted to her, since she was distracted by Haru's late arrival. She spun around, swinging her katana horizontally at the man's armored abdomen, cutting him and sending him to the ground. The three of them didn't like Fire Nation soldiers, but they weren't low enough to sink to their level and kill other people.

The only downside to this new style of living was that the soldiers were constantly looking for them now. This made Shuang happy—they were actually doing something! They were considered a threat! He even saw the three of them on a few wanted posters, but they never got his description right.

Luckily, they never saw Lieutenant Zhang, the firebending master, ever again.

There were two soldiers left in front of them, wielding curved blades and trying to look threatening. Shuang was confident they could win. He formed a sphere of water, freezing it solid. He threw the ice ball at one of them, and he ducked.

"Ha-ha! You missed me!" he yelled mockingly. Shuang suddenly pulled his arm toward him, as if pulling on a string. The ice ball rocketed back, hitting the soldier in the back of the head. He fell to the ground, unconscious. A slab of stone hit the other soldier, sending him flying into the wall.

"That was kinda easy. Let's go," Jin said, running away.

Shuang was glad he made this choice. He wouldn't choose any other.

* * *

**Author's Note: So, I don't know when I'll update again. Don't worry, you won't have to wait too long. You know I update quickly, lol. **

**I made a HUGE mistake. The last time Toph and Aang trained together, I made it so that Aang sucked at earthbending. I forgot that he was also really good at it, especially in the later episodes (Making a whole zoo?). So ignore the drastic change in his earthbending abilities in later chapters XD. Oh, and is he a master waterbender? Katara said something in the episode, "Bitter Work." I think it was, "You have the reflexes of a waterbending master." Or something like that. I don't know.**

**Please don't forget to leave a review:D**


	9. City of Rebels

**Author's Note: Heh, turns out my parents forgot about grounding me. I got lucky XD. Here's the next chapter, sorry for the slight delay. I got caught up reading this really good fanfiction... and I had to update my other story, which I kinda stopped a little for this story lol.**

**Anonymous Review Responses:**

**Foxin Toxin: Glad you like Jun, but she won't appear very much. And about that little triangle... Maybe :) Thanks for the review!**

**Kitty-chan: Thanks!**

**A **_**huge **_**thanks to: **Harlequin Jade, Duchess 192, Foxin Toxin, Kitty-chan, Hold On Tight, AnimeAngel90, dantebascoluver, ZutaraFan4, Shadowsole**, and **Tefnut Talvi**! Woohoo! Most reviews for one chapter :D I really appreciate it, guys!**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Avatar.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 9: City of Rebels_

It wasn't long after the swamp when the wooden gates of Jihen came into view. Sokka was surprised—he was expecting huge, stone walls much like Ba Sing Se. For the Earth Kingdom's last foothold, it didn't look like much to him.

The Avatar Gang was able to enter the city without much trouble—the people just eyed them warily. Sokka's eyes widened upon seeing the city once they passed through the gates—it looked _much _bigger on the inside. It seemed that they really used the forests outside the city very well, since almost all of the houses were made out of wood. There were lots of streets crisscrossing and filled with people bustling around, doing their own business. Jihen wasn't nearly as big as Omashu or Ba Sing Se, just a little bigger than an average village or port city. Unfortunately, he didn't see any large buildings or anything to indicate that this was a rebel city.

"So... this doesn't look like much of a rebel city," the warrior said. It seemed as if time froze as he spoke this, everything grew silent. All of the townspeople watched him with fear, pausing in their activities. "What?"

"Sshh," someone shushed him, a cloaked man, pushing them all out of the street.

"Who are you?" Aang asked.

"Quiet. Follow me." The cloaked man rushed through all of the streets, as people slowly and a little too carefully got back to what they were doing. The man went between houses and even climbed on top of a building, jumping down and resuming his frenzied pace. Sokka suddenly felt as if they were chasing this man. Rushing them, the man ushered them inside a small, cramped house. The man lit a lantern.

"What was all that about?" Toph grumbled.

"You must be the Avatar," the man said to Aang, who nodded. "I'm sorry for doing this, but we must do everything we can to remain a secret. The Fire Nation knows about our city, and they are extremely suspicious. Some of the Fire Lord's loyalists are inside, and they are attempting to spy on us. It's kind of bad. Traitors are everywhere."

"We understand," Aang said. "We came to join a rebellion. We need to help, because Ba Sing Se has fallen," he added in an undertone.

"It is an honor to meet the Avatar," the man said. "My name is Dizi."

"Aang, pleased to meet you."

"Where is the largest rebellion group? We need to join so we can liberate Omashu and Ba Sing Se," Sokka said, wanting to get to business.

"Of course," Dizi said. "I am a follower of our town's most famous rebel, Master Qi Yi. He has the most followers, and if we all band together, we can create a whole army!"

Sokka stared at this man, wondering how in the world a bunch of townspeople and rebels would possibly make an army strong enough to free Omashu. This man didn't look like much, having shaggy brown hair and a small build, wearing what looked suspiciously like rhino-beetle carapace as armor. The hard, black material actually wasn't a bad idea... the huge insects were plentiful in an area so close to the swamp.

"When can we meet him?" Sokka asked.

"Tomorrow, maybe," Dizi said, lost in thought. "Master Qi Yi is quite busy today helping the wounded from a recent raid on a Fire Nation encampment."

Most of the group staggered, moaning in protest. "What will we do until then?" Katara wondered aloud.

"I know! Learn your way around the city, but _don't let anyone know who you are_," Dizi warned. "It's hard to trust many people here."

They all nodded, and the rebel left them, and they all decided to leave in groups. Katara, Zuko, Aang, and Toph all left together, while Mai and Ty Lee went their own way. Sokka wandered off alone, feeling very left out. He slumped through the shopping area of town, spotting some food. With a dejected sigh, he realized he had no money.

"Erghh! I'm so _hungry_," Sokka whined to himself. There was one stall with a small family cooking all kinds of things inside, including roasted meat, sizzling on a hot plate, with white rice scattered around it... Sokka felt himself drooling slightly. He silently damned Katara for having all of the group's money, not trusting Aang or Sokka with it.

Apparently, one of the children spotted Sokka watching the food. "Daddy, look! It's a poor traveler! He's hungry..." Sokka was momentarily angry about being called a 'poor traveler' but was immediately happy about _free _food.

The burly, kind man turned around from cooking. "Sure, sure! Give him a plate!" he said with a smile. Sokka sat down with a goofy smile on his face, eyeing the food hungrily. The mother put down the same plate he saw not a minute before, and dug in. Alarmed, the woman pulled her hand away, afraid of the hungry boy eating it.

"Thank—you—very—much," Sokka said, mouth full. The man laughed.

"No problem! Anything for a starving traveler!"

Sokka finished quickly, looking up to the man. "Is there any way I can repay you?"

The man waved him away. "Don't worry about it."

"Oh, good. Thanks," Sokka said again, standing up and leaving. He continued his walk, looking around at the town. At last, things seemed to be going good for them. No deception and corruption in this town.

"Sokka!" he heard someone yell. It sounded so familiar, full of joy and satisfaction. He turned, looking at the person as they came up to him.

"Suki!" Sokka yelled, as the girl rushed over and tackled him, hugging him tightly.

"I've been looking all over for you!" she said, pulling away. "This is Nodoka. Nodoka, this is Sokka, the Water Tribe warrior I told you about."

Sokka finally noticed the man standing a little behind her, nodding in greeting to him.

"Wait... who is this guy?" Sokka asked suspiciously. He showed loyalty to Suki, not being with any other girls while she was gone, and she went and got with this guy?

"Oh Sokka, you're such an idiot," Suki said, suddenly lunging forward and kissing him. Sokka immediately brightened, returning the kiss.

"What are you doing here?" Sokka asked, pulling away.

"I've been looking all over, I've wanted to help," Suki responded, clutching his hand.

"It would be great to have you with us," Sokka said with a smile. "But... who is he?"

Suki rolled her eyes, still thinking Sokka was jealous. "He's just a friend I found in a village. We've been helping each other get here. He wants to come with you guys."

Sokka leaned in to whisper to her. "Are you sure he's not just a Fire Nation spy?"

The Kyoshi Warrior crossed her arms. "I trust him."

That felt good enough to Sokka. He trusted Suki, and if she trusted this Nodoka, then he did, too. This guy, quiet as he was, seemed to be slightly Water Tribe, having rare silver hair and blue eyes. The menacing spear on his back showed he had experience with fighting, and he wasn't a bender. His arm was in a sling, but he was sure he could convince Katara to heal that. He silently decided to let him come with them.

"Alright, let's go find Aang and the others," Sokka said with a smile, as they walked down the city streets.

* * *

Katara silently stared at Zuko's back, making sure he didn't do anything to jeopardize them all. She still didn't trust him, but at this point, she didn't care whether he was with them or not. He no longer yelled at anyone, and they no longer yelled at him. It was as if he was ignored most of the time. He never talked to anybody, but Katara could tell there was conflict in his golden eyes whenever they caught each other's gaze. She respected him as a fellow bender, and nothing more. He had done nothing to gain their trust, so they didn't attempt to try and befriend him.

Aang was currently wearing a plain brown hooded cloak, covering his face and head. His arrows were too conspicuous. It was weird. They had to be extra careful in this town, but at the same time, it was the place where they were safest. Appa was left outside of the city in the dense forests where no one could find him.

They strolled down the city streets, looking all around at the people doing their daily errands. It was nice to be in a peaceful town relatively untouched by Fire Nation soldiers. They saw people shouting around, attempting to sell their goods. Katara smirked evilly, feeling the comfortable weight of the gold pieces in her money bag. Sokka was alone, probably cursing Katara for having all of the money.

People were watching them out of the corners of their eyes as they passed. Katara wondered what they were looking at—they didn't have anything of value, that the people could see. Aang was hunched over, leaning on his staff for support, looking much like an old man. Toph looked the same as ever, shuffling her feet in what seemed like a bored pace. Zuko was behind them all, following them without much interest. Katara wanted him to come along, only to keep an eye on him. Could the people want the broadswords that hung on his hips? The people that were watching them _did _look like bandits—rough and small in size, attempting to look inconspicuous.

Katara began leading the other three towards a more deserted part of town. At the very least, if the bandits attacked, they'd be able to scare them away so they wouldn't be looked at like that anymore.

Sure enough, they followed, attempting to corner them in an alley.

"Sugarqueen, what are you _doing_?" Toph asked.

"Trying to teach these bandits a lesson," Katara answered, drawing some water from her water skin.

Toph shrugged. "Good, 'cause I was getting bored."

"It's times like these when I wonder why I came with you in the first place," Zuko said angrily, preparing to defend himself with his swords.

"So overconfident," one of the bandits said with a teasing laugh, pulling a jagged dagger from his hip. Five other bandits came, wielding a variety of weapons.

"Children, easy prey," another said, taking a menacing axe from his back. "I want the girls when we're done."

Toph drew back, appalled. "Ew! You're goin' down first!" She stomped her foot, causing a rock to jut from the ground beneath him, sending him flying up in the air, screaming. Nonplussed, the others came in, determined to win.

"People like you make me sick!" Katara yelled, lashing out at another with tendrils of water, pushing him back into a wall and knocking him unconscious. Another bandit came from the sky, apparently deciding to attack from the roof. Katara was barely able to react in time, bringing her water up, but she wouldn't make it in time—

And a broadsword blocked his weapon with a loud _clang_, as another came up and swiped at the man, ending his attack. The broadsword-user saved her life, sending the man away with a powerful kick. Katara, completely shocked, didn't even fight off the rest of the thugs, Toph finishing them all off with earthbending before Aang could even lift his staff.

"Thanks for helping out there, guys," Toph said, straightening herself. "Especially you, Twinkletoes."

"Um... I'm a fragile old man?" Aang said hopefully, coughing.

"I was busy," Zuko said.

Of all people, the one to save her life was _Zuko_. "U-Um... Th-thanks, I guess..." Katara said, staring at the ground. She was mean to him most of the time, and he responded with saving her life. Perhaps he was a bit more decent than she gave him credit for.

He ignored her. _Or maybe he's just that same old jerk!_

Three people rushed over to the alley, probably to find out what happened there. Katara was surprised to see Sokka, Suki, and a silver-haired man she didn't know.

"Suki!" Katara yelled, running over to greet her friend. "It's so nice to see you!"

"Hey Katara, Aang, Toph," Suki said with a smile, turning to them all. "And I can't forget Momo!" She laughed as the lemur swooped down, landing on her shoulder. Katara almost forgot about him, since most of the time they were there he was under Aang's cloak. Suki suddenly straightened, seeming to remember something. "This is Nodoka," she said, gesturing to her friend.

"Hello, Avatar," Nodoka said, walking up to Aang. "I would like to join your group."

Katara's eyes widened, feeling slightly shocked at his request. It was kind of random, actually.

"It's okay, he's a friend," Suki reassured them. "I trust him, he just likes adventure." The silver-haired warrior nodded.

Toph shrugged. "He seems genuine."

"How can you fight with a broken arm?" Zuko said disbelievingly. Katara pushed in front of him.

"Don't mind Zuko, he's kind of _hot-headed_," she said, emphasizing the last part.

Suki put her finger on her lip, lost in thought. "Zuko... sounds familiar."

"He's the Prince of the Fire Nation," Nodoka said plainly. Katara thought he sounded much like Mai.

Suki's eyes widened, staring at Zuko in fear.

"It's okay, he's with us," Aang interjected, before things got nasty. "Um... I guess Nodoka can come with us. Pleased to meet you! But it may be kinda cramped on Appa..."

Suki walked over to Katara. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you heal Nodoka's arm, please?" Suki asked. "He can fight well one-handed, but he says he's better with both."

"Alright," Katara said, pulling some water from her water skin. She covered her hands in it, and it started glowing. Gently, she took off the warrior's sling, holding her hands over the fractured bone. "Seems to have been broken for a while, but nothing I can't handle." The glowing intensified for a moment, before the water was absorbed into his skin, healing the tissue around it. Nodoka flexed his fingers experimentally, moving his arm around.

"Thank you," he said with a bow.

"Let's go find Mai and Ty Lee," Aang suggested.

* * *

The two of them happened to be on the other side of the city, Ty Lee wandering around excitedly and staring at the seller's wares curiously. At every other stall she stopped, asking Mai to buy something for her. Luckily, the latter carried their money.

"No, for the last time," Mai said with a sigh.

"Aw, poopie," Ty Lee muttered, snapping her fingers. "Ooh, look at that guy!" she said, pointing at a heavily muscled, red-haired young man who seemed to be walking around alone. He wore a tight black sleeveless shirt, black gloves, boots, and brown pants. His long, flaming red hair was held back by a green headband. The energetic young girl cart wheeled up to him. "Hello."

The boy turned to her with a smile. "Hey there."

Ty Lee couldn't help but notice his stunning green eyes. "You're kinda cute."

"You're kinda cute yourself," he answered, looking her up and down. Mai smacked her forehead. The boy leaned against a wall, folding his arms. "I'm Keioushi."

"That's a nice name. Mine's Ty Lee," the acrobat said flirtingly, flipping her braid. "You're, like, strong like bull!"

Keioushi laughed. "I know," he said, flexing his muscles for her. She giggled.

"Let's get out of here," Mai muttered, grabbing her friend by the wrist and literally dragging her away.

"No, wait, wait!" Ty Lee protested, but then settled with signaling something to him. She put her hand to the side of her face, in a fist, then extending her pinky finger and thumb to her mouth and ear, respectively. She seemed to be trying to say something to the boy, but Mai ignored it and continued on.

* * *

"Iroh, get over here!" Azula yelled impatiently, ready to burn him to death. Spirits, he was taking forever, playing some silly game with an old man in a tavern.

"Hold on, this is a very engaging game of Pai Sho!"

She stomped over to him, with a look on her face that would scare many of the Fire Nation's bravest men, and grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away. "Wait, wait! My Pai Sho tiles!"

Seriously, she was ready to kill him right then and there. Once outside, she threw him to the ground. "Next time, listen to me at my first order!" she yelled, a ball of blue flame glowing in her hands.

"Azula, you know as well as I do that I can defeat you in firebending," Iroh warned, speaking uncharacteristically dark. The Princess growled in rage, throwing the flame at the ground inches away from her Uncle. She admitted it quietly to herself. No matter how poor or peasant-like he looked at the moment, he was still a powerful bender.

She took a deep breath, calming herself. "How about an Agni Kai, right now, to test that theory?" she asked, back in her regular tone.

Iroh cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm, haven't done _that _in a while... Alright, sure. But somewhere in the wilderness so we attract less attention."

"Who cares about attention? We are in a Fire Nation-controlled region."

"_Azula_," he said in a scolding tone. The girl scoffed.

"Whatever."

The two of them walked outside the village, going through the forest for a couple of silent minutes until they came to a relatively large clearing.

"What happened to dueling with honor? I'd like to be known for defeating the Dragon of the West," Azula said mockingly, getting into a fighting stance.

"This isn't about honor, it is more like discipline," Iroh said, getting into his own stance. Azula snorted. She began the attack, punching furiously and spitting flame at him from her fists. With the speed of a man half his age, he jumped out of the way, hurling red flames at her. She dissipated them with her own hotter blue fireballs. She decided to end this fight, a waste of her time, with a bolt of lightning. The lightning shot from her fingertips, streaking through the air. She wasn't expecting Iroh to hold out his own fingers, absorbing the strike. She raised her eyebrow.

"You've just made this fight interesting," she said. He didn't even seem to be hurt. _But I'll change that, _she thought cruelly.

Instead, he seemed to channel some energy inside of him, and he held out his other hand, and the lightning went through the air and back at her! She jumped out of the way, just in time.

"I wasn't expecting you to use lightning so early. It shows that you are afraid of me," he pointed out.

"Shut up!" she yelled, jumping in the air and letting out fire with a quick kick. All of the blue fire was suddenly engulfed by Iroh's own raging inferno, coming right from his mouth. The fires leapt out at her, threatening to engulf her, too. She fell back, finding no other direction to go and dodge that attack. As the fire disappeared, she was ready to get up, but the old man was there, holding a fist near her face.

"Do it, and kill me," Azula said, irking him on. "Run free like the weakling you are."

Iroh shook his head, straightening himself. "No, I've dueled just to show you that you are inferior to me."

Azula yelled in rage, leaping up and spitting blue fire at him. He bent below the attack, sending several quick punches to her abdomen.

"You were defeated. Accept that, live with it," he said, reminding her much of the wolf-panther packs from the Fire Nation lands, showing his dominance over her. "I am stronger."

"So be it," she said with clenched teeth, infuriated by her Uncle. The child prodigy was defeated by an experienced older man. _Not old enough, in my opinion, _Azula thought crossly.

It didn't matter. Even though he beat her in a fight, it wouldn't stop her from going through with her plans.

_And Father will finally be satisfied completely, loving me like the daughter he always wanted._

* * *

**Author's Note: Hope you guys like the chapter. Personally, I don't think it's one of my best. The biggest things were the encounter with Dizi and then meeting Suki, and also the short Agni Kai between Azula and Iroh.**

**I'm going away for the weekend, so don't expect review replies until Monday, at least :/... Maybe I can type up the next chapter on Monday or Tuesday... too bad I don't have a laptop... :P. Oh, and I didn't feel like proofreading this, since it is really late, so ignore some of my grammar mistakes XD.**

**Please review!**


	10. The Underground

**Author's Note: A shocking but not very original appearance in this chapter. You guys can probably figure out who it is...**

**Thanks to: pachysam, AnimeAngel90, Harlequin Jade, ZutaraFan4, dantebascoluver, and Hold On Tight. :D**

**Anonymous Review Responses:**

**Pachysam: That may possibly happen... soon.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Avatar.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 10: The Underground_

Later that day, the group of kids found Mai and Ty Lee on the other side of town.

"Finally, we found you!" Katara said with relief. "We thought something might've happened."

"Nope," Mai said, sounding very tired. "Ty Lee's just been interested in _everything_."

"_You_!" Suki suddenly yelled, pointing at the two girls with venom in her voice.

"What?" Ty Lee asked, looking totally clueless.

"Oh, you're that Kyoshi Warrior," Mai said obviously.

Suki flicked her wrists, her golden fans suddenly opening. "You three almost killed us! Where's the other one?"

"You want to fight?" Mai asked, getting into a stance. "Come on."

"Oh, wait! I remember now! Azula ordered us to do that!" Ty Lee said, trying to prevent the fighting. Everyone else stared at the three girls, switching their gazes every time someone else spoke.

"Wait!" Katara yelled. "They're with us now!"

"But those girls attacked us, when we were trying to defend Appa!" Silence.

"_You _tried to kidnap Appa, too?" Aang said angrily, turning to Mai and Ty Lee.

"I already told you! It was under Azula's orders!" Ty Lee yelled back, trying to defend herself and Mai.

"Guys... We're attracting too much attention," Sokka said quietly, warning them.

"If you yell any louder the Fire Nation will find us," Zuko said through clenched teeth, but was ignored when Suki attacked Mai and Katara struggled to stop Aang from attacking Ty Lee.

"Can't this wait till later?" Toph asked rather loudly, when she noticed some suspicious individuals watching them with interest. Suki immediately lowered her fans, not wanting to endanger the group she just joined. Mai and Aang also stopped their attacks.

"We should leave. Now," Nodoka said monotonously.

"Let's meet at Dizi's home," Katara said under her breath, as they all watched the people closing in on them. They were most likely those Fire Nation loyalists.

"Huh?" Suki asked.

"Just follow me," Sokka whispered. Aang and Toph ran off in one direction, Aang's cloak falling off in the process. Katara went off in another. Sokka, Suki, and Nodoka left the scene together, pushing through the crowd. Lastly, Mai and Ty Lee went down one of the side alleys. That left Zuko alone. Making a quick decision, he ran off in a random direction—which happened to be the same one Katara went in.

He pushed through the small crowd as the people tried to reach for him, probably noticing his scar and knowing he was Fire Nation. It was all over the wanted posters. He ran right through them, at the same time trying to remember where that rebel's home was.

"What are you waitin' for? Get the Avatar and his friends!" a man yelled. He was probably one of the spies. The small crowd split up, going down different alleys and streets.

Zuko refrained from using firebending as two of the people chased him. They were surprisingly, and unfortunately, fast. He didn't want the whole town after him for being a firebender. The waterbender's light blue clothing was just ahead of him, just out of his reach. She weaved through alleys, trying to lose their pursuers. Zuko followed, and so did the loyalists to the Fire Nation. As they ran, their pursuers seemed to get farther and farther behind them, and as Zuko ran, the girl suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a building, sitting down on the ground nervously to catch their breaths.

"Did we lose them?" Katara asked, holding her arms close to her body.

"I don't know," Zuko said, chancing a quick glance around the building. "They're gone."

Katara sighed with relief. "Let's go, then."

"Think you's can lose us so easily?" a man asked, suddenly coming from the shadows in the alley.

"Run!" Katara yelled, dashing off in the other direction. Zuko followed her, but then he paused, realizing something.

"Why are we running? There are only two of them." Katara stopped, too, probably realizing the same thing. Zuko drew his broadswords, facing their pursuers.

Katara lashed out at the man with her water, causing him to recoil and lunge at her with his heavy sword. The other man, a much smaller one, shot at Zuko with his arrows. He dodged a few, and when he was unable to, stopped them skillfully with his swords.

Katara batted the sword away from her, coming up with her other hand and sending a stream of water to the man's face, freezing it there. He screamed in pain, swinging his heavy sword violently, clawing at the ice in his face. Katara clapped her hands together, bashing the man with small torrents of water from both sides. He fell to the ground, completely unconscious.

Zuko nimbly dodged through the arrows, trying to reach the archer on the other side of the alley. He was getting closer ever so slowly, if only he could use firebending... Suddenly, another archer popped up standing next to the other, shooting two arrows at a time.

_This is getting to be a bit much... _Zuko thought irritably. So many arrows whizzing through the air at once was too difficult to dodge and deflect, and some narrowly cut the cloth on his shirt and pants. He growled in anger, holding his swords up and ready to swipe at the archer... When an arrow accurately shot towards his heart. Zuko's eyes widened, thinking this to be the end of him.

_Everything I've survived... and I'm going to die at the hands of a bandit?_

Suddenly, just as the arrow was about to strike, a stream of water darted right in front of him just in time, freezing and stopping the attack, then unfreezing as the arrow dropped to the ground. The water whipped the two men away, throwing them into a building and knocking them unconscious.

Chills went up Katara's spine. She just saved _Zuko's _life. The two of them ignored it for now, heading towards Dizi the Rebel's hut with speed.

Minutes later, they arrived at the building right after Aang and Toph did. They seemed to have lost their pursuers, too. Nodding to each other, they entered Dizi's home, happy to see Sokka, Suki, Nodoka, Mai, Ty Lee, and Dizi already there. The three males were trying in vain to stop Suki from attacking the other two girls. Mai looked bored; she was gazing at Suki as if she was a waste of her time. Ty Lee looked apologetic, trying to explain that they didn't _want _to attack the Kyoshi Warriors.

"STOP!" Toph shouted, effectively shutting up everyone cramped inside of the building. Her voice radiated with toughness and authority, so everyone listened. "Suki, she's telling the truth. They're with us now, and Azula only ordered them to get Appa. I'm _sick _of all the arguing that's been going on in this group, and we don't need any _more_!"

Everyone stared silently, each of them feeling guilty. She was right; ever since Zuko came they've been yelling at each other almost non-stop.

Dizi clapped his hands with a smile. "Now that that's over with, I'd like you guys to meet Master Qi Yi."

"What?" Aang asked. "I thought you said he's not getting back until tomorrow."

"Well, we got lucky. They finished early."

"Well... where is he?" Katara asked, looking around.

"Everyone, get close together," Dizi said. A few of them looked like it was the last thing they'd ever want to do, but they complied reluctantly. Dizi stomped on the ground, causing dust to shoot up all around them, in a perfect circle. It stopped as the ground they were on began to descend.

"Interesting," Toph said.

"In order to keep the rebellion secret, we had to build a series of underground tunnels," Dizi explained as the platform lowered. "It's the only way to keep enemy firebenders out."

"_Enemy _firebenders?" Sokka asked incredulously. Zuko glared at him. "Oh, right," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Anyway," Dizi continued, ignoring Sokka. "We had to build massive caverns under here, in order to fit all of the people. We were able to do this easily, there are lots of earthbenders with us, _and _Master Qi Yi is the leader of Jihen."

Many of them were surprised by this, but they were comforted by the fact that the whole town might possibly be on their side.

"How many people are in the rebellion?" Suki questioned.

"Oh, pretty much the whole town, but we're all our own separate rebellions. This one, led by Master Qi Yi, is the biggest. Everyone, even children, are able to do their part to help us in our battle. Since Ba Sing Se has fallen, we are the world's _last _foothold against the Fire Nation." Dizi stopped speaking as the platform stopped moving. "Welcome to the _Underground's _secret hideout."

The vertical tunnel suddenly opened up in front of them, revealing an expansive cavern, bigger than that of the crystal catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se.

"Wow," Ty Lee said in awe, her eyes wide. Hundreds of people were scattered around the cavern, doing their own errands. A group of earthbenders were working on expanding, blowing away parts of the rock walls. It seemed as if people were living down here, refugees, setting up tents all around the rocky ledges. An underground river went right through the middle of it all, supplying the people with water. It even seemed to have fertile ground, as plants and fungi lined the rocky walls.

"This place is amazing!" Katara said in similar awe.

"I'll go see if Master Qi Yi is ready to see you. Please, wait here. Explore all you want," Dizi said, walking off. He went down one of the many hallways branching off the main cavern.

"This place is probably bigger than the city itself," Toph said. "It goes on and on..."

"Nodoka!" someone shouted, running up to them.

"Keioushi!" Apparently, Ty Lee's name was Nodoka, as she yelled back. The red-haired teen glanced at her, and he smiled warmly.

"Hello, Ty Lee," he said.

"Not again," Mai muttered, slumping.

"Keioushi, what are you doing here?" Nodoka asked, walking up to the newcomer.

"I've decided to help in the rebellion. After Ba Sing Se fell, the platoon I was in disbanded, and I came back here," Keioushi said, finishing somewhat lamely and shrugging. "You?"

"I was injured."

"Ah."

"If you guys want to talk you can just... go on," Suki said, shrugging. "We don't mind." With a nod, Nodoka walked away with his friend.

* * *

"So, you're with the Avatar Gang now, huh?" Keioushi asked, crossing his arms. "Good for you, I can see you're not gonna be sitting home for a while."

"I only came with them to find you. I haven't seen you in years." The two of them were next to the rocky wall, Keioushi leaning on it.

"Buds till the very end, right?" the redhead said, smirking. Nodoka laughed.

"So why didn't you come home?" the silver-haired warrior questioned.

"You know me, I wanted to make a difference," Keioushi said with a shrug. "So, I see you're traveling with lots of hot girls..."

"Not anymore. Now that I did what I came with them to do."

"What!? No no no no no no no no," Keioushi said loudly, shaking his arms. "You can _not _pass up this opportunity! We can save the world and get the girl, what do you say?"

"Uh, 'we'?"

"Come on, I _have _tocome along!"

"It's not up to me. Ask the Avatar," Nodoka said, walking away.

"Fine," Keioushi grumbled.

* * *

She was standing there with one hand on her hip, the other stroking her chin with her long, sharp fingernails. She was examining one of the Avatar's wanted posters again, reading up on the latest sightings and rumors. Last time he was seen was flying over the southeastern Earth Kingdom skies...

She was waiting for the printer to finish all of the other posters. She requested—ordered—him to print wanted posters for _each _of the Avatar's little friends. She knew for a fact that whenever they traveled, it was mostly the Avatar that was hidden or disguised. She wanted to catch all of his other friends off guard...

"Another one of your perfect plans, Azula," she commented herself. She described each of them fully in detail—she knew she had an amazing memory. There was that waterbender peasant, her stupid brother, that blind little girl, and most importantly, Zuko. Even his new look wouldn't help him anymore.

"Talking to yourself again, Azula?"

She scowled. This man was embarrassing with his peasant clothing. Why would a peasant be seen with a Princess? Especially a peasant that could beat her in firebending?

"Uncle," she said sweetly. "Get back to drinking your _tea_! I have no time for your bothersome nonsense."

"_I'm _speaking bothersome nonsense? _I _never talk to myself!"

"Just... leave."

"That's better. Now was that so hard?"

Azula fumed. Iroh was trying to teach her _manners _now? Her hands flared up in anger. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Fine, fine. I'll meet you outside town." Azula relaxed as the old man walked away, turning back to the wanted posters. She didn't want any printed of Mai and Ty Lee, since she believed there was still a chance to get them back on her side. Maybe they just joined up with the Avatar for spying on him, learning all they could about their weaknesses or destinations... Yes, that was something Mai would do.

Unless they were really on his side. Why would they abandon her? What would they gain? They were her _friends_. She may not have treated them like they were, but she was friendly with them nonetheless... sometimes. She hugged them every once in a while. Didn't that count for something?

But there was that time when she pushed Ty Lee out of jealousy. And when she played tricks on Mai. And not long after that, she 'accidentally' burned Ty Lee's hand. She also told lies about Mai behind her back, when they were in school. Then there were those times in the Royal Fire Academy for Girls where Azula pretended she didn't know them.

Was she really bad enough to them for them to betray her?

She shook her head, dismissing the memories. What was this feeling? Was it painful to bring them up?

She shook her head again. "There is no such thing as pain. Pain is weakness."

Then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "No matter. In the end, I may just have to kill them, too."

"Ex-Excuse me, Princess..."

Azula turned around sharply, her eyes falling on the man below her. He was literally on the ground, face down, holding a stack of papers out in front of her.

"What?" she asked, as if irritated. She knew what this was about, but that was just good for frightening people.

"The posters... are done," he said as she took them. The waterbender's face was on top of the stack, staring at her.

Her amber eyes glinted maliciously. "Excellent."

This time, she was pulling out all the stops.

And she would never give up.

Not until the Avatar was in her clutches.

Dead.

* * *

"Okay, now's the time to meet Master Qi Yi. He's ready to see you all," Dizi announced to them. All of them were sitting around, quite bored. Nodoka was off missing somewhere, with his friend. If they had to leave without him, Katara didn't really care. He did ask to come kind of randomly.

Dizi led them through countless tunnels, probably designed to confuse Fire Nation soldiers if they invaded. They were very plain, just normal deep brown and round, with no vegetation whatsoever. Occasionally they passed some other hallways branching off into other sections of the rebel base, or storage rooms. This was an apparently well-organized rebellion and it seemed as if they had no money troubles.

They actually seemed to have a chance against the Fire Nation.

"Wow, this place is a _lot _bigger than I thought," Toph said.

"Yes, we've been building this place for years. It takes tons of earthbenders to do it," Dizi explained.

"Who founded the rebellion?" Suki asked.

"Master Qi Yi's father. He was a very great man."

"Is Qi Yi an earthbender too?" Sokka asked. Katara sighed. What a dumb question...

"Of course! Why do you think I call him 'Master'?"

Sokka winced, embarrassed. "I dunno, just a question." Aang laughed at him.

"He is one of the greatest earthbenders I know," Dizi said, in great admiration of the man.

Toph snorted.

Aang laughed again. "You apparently haven't met the Blind Bandit..."

"Yeah, she can even beat the _Boulder_," Sokka said.

"I dunno, I never really liked the Blind Bandit," Katara said jokingly. Toph punched her in the arm. "Ouch!"

Suki nudged Sokka. "Who's the Blind Bandit?" she whispered. He jerked a thumb in Toph's direction.

It turned out that Dizi was almost ignoring all of their chatter, as he seemed relieved when they entered another wide chamber. "Master Qi Yi is in his room, I'll go get him."

As Dizi ran off, the Avatar Gang discussed Qi Yi.

"So what do you think he'll be like?" Aang asked.

"Is he... good?" Toph asked.

"Probably, since everyone looks at him so highly," Katara said.

"Yeah, we don't want another Long Feng," Sokka muttered. Dizi came out again.

"Master Qi Yi is coming out, he seems excited to meet you all," he said. As he finished, a huge man walked out of the room. He was wearing Earth Kingdom robes of yellow, green, and brown, but you could tell he was very strong underneath. He was taller than anyone in the room. He radiated power, and in his green eyes Katara could see strength and wisdom. She could tell he was on their side.

"Hello, Avatar and friends. I am Master Qi Yi, leader of the Underground." As he spoke, four people walked out behind him. "I'd like you to meet my Generals."

The first one Katara laid her eyes on seemed just as strong as Qi Yi, but much tougher looking and kind of scary. He wore Earth Kingdom armor, and he was barefoot, which showed he was an earthbender. She immediately knew why Qi Yi made him a General.

After him, Katara was surprised to see a man in dark blue clothing. Judging by the color of his clothes, she knew he was Northern Water Tribe. He was smaller and lithe, wielding many weapons, including a spear. Since he wielded so many, he probably wasn't a bender.

The next person was older, more experienced. He seemed to be getting kind of fat, but he looked strong nonetheless. He had two swords sheathed on his belt, and he was also barefoot. He was obviously another earthbender.

The last person was the most surprising of all. She was a beautiful woman, with pale skin, black hair, and amber eyes that reminded her of Zuko's. She wore a black and red dress, with some gold trimmings. Was she Fire Nation?

It seemed as if Zuko was just as surprised, his eyes widened in shock, and he even stepped back once.

"Mother?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Told ya that wouldn't be the last cliffhanger. I bet you all saw that coming sooner or later, most fanfictions have her in them... But she's important in this story, trust me! Oh, and a little more Zutara next chapter.**

**Revieww:D**


	11. Starting Over

**Author's Note: -phew- I almost got grounded for the rest of the summer. Almost. But it's all better now. Oh, and I'm going away again for a full week this time... Sorry guys :(**

**A big thanks to: **Hold On Tight, AnimeAngel90, Shadowsole, TYT-G, **and **Harlequin Jade. **You guys rock :D**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Avatar.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 11: Starting Over_

The beautiful Fire Nation woman's gaze turned to him, surprised. Her face immediately turned to a look of joy, a smile gracing her pretty features.

"Zuko!" She jumped from the platform, rushing down to the firebender and hugging him tightly. "Oh, you're safe! I missed you so much!"

"Mom..." Zuko said quietly, utterly shocked. "It's... really you!"

His mother broke down in tears, so happy to see her son again. "It's been so long..."

Everyone else there was silent, apparently just as surprised about the reunion.

_Didn't Zuko say he lost his mother? _Katara thought.

"I... thought you were dead..." Zuko said under his breath, a single tear dropping from his eye. This was a completely new side of Zuko she had never seen before... and she felt happy for him.

"No, I'm perfectly alive," his mother answered with a smile, her face completely wet.

"L-Lady Ursa, I had no idea he was your son," Dizi said, interrupting their moment. "I would have told you."

Dizi's words seemed to pull the mother and son away from each other, apparently just noticing everyone else was still there. Zuko wiped the tear away hastily.

"It is alright, General Dizi. I am just so _very _happy my little Zuko is back," Ursa said, wiping her tears on the sleeves of her robes.

Qi Yi suddenly spoke. "General Ursa, why don't you take the day off—spend the day with your long-lost son," he said kindly. "While we plan for war."

"I'd love that, thank you," she answered, smoothing out her long, black robes. Her golden bracelets jingled slightly.

"Have fun," the Water Tribe man said, as they all walked back into the room. Katara and the others, minus Zuko, followed them in. The bleak tunnel slowly opened up into a vast war chamber. Everyone sat down.

"Wait a minute," Aang said, looking around. "Where are Mai, Ty Lee, and Nodoka?"

"Nodoka's still off with his friend," Sokka said to him. "I don't think they'd want to be here anyway... do you think any of them would contribute? Mai and Nodoka are always so quiet-like... and Ty Lee's just annoying." Suki laughed quietly at the warrior.

* * *

Minutes later, Ursa and Zuko walked through the town, using a different lift to return to the outside world. They walked silently; Zuko was slightly nervous. What was he going to say to his mother that was missing for years?

"You've really grown," Ursa pointed out.

"It's been difficult ever since you left..." Zuko said slowly.

"I'm so sorry. I did it to protect you."

"How could you protect me if you leave me?" he asked, his voice rising slightly.

"It's..." Ursa began, trying to find the right word, "...difficult."

His golden eyes met hers. "What happened that night?"

Pain suddenly swarmed into her eyes, and she looked at the ground. "I... can't tell you."

"He... banished me, forcing me to do an impossible task—find the Avatar."

"But you did it."

"Yes, but now I want revenge on my father," he said sullenly.

"I'm glad you decided to help them," Ursa said, looking at him again. "You've made the right choice."

He was silent. The two came to a quieter part of town, on the outskirts. With a start, Zuko remembered a place that looked just like this. There was a thick tree sitting peacefully next to a small pond. It was just like back at home. Ursa sat down by the base of the tree, inviting Zuko to join her.

"Your hair is a mess," Ursa pointed out, laughing slightly. Zuko ruffled it, laughing openly. The two of them looked at the pond, reminiscing about the area that looked so eerily like this.

"How is Azula?" his mother asked. She sounded so much like any regular mother.

Zuko sobered. "She's against us. We've all fought her a few times. She is cruel and merciless."

"I always thought she'd end up like your father..."

He told her everything that happened the past few years, starting with his banishment. He skipped the uneventful two years of searching for the Avatar, telling her about the first meeting and all of their encounters in between.

"At first, I was like Azula..."

He told her about the fight with Admiral Zhao, and how the greedy firebender died. He spoke about him and his Uncle being branded as traitors, and traveling around the Earth Kingdom like poor peasants. Finally, he told her about Azula's takeover of Ba Sing Se and how he joined the Avatar's group of friends shortly afterward.

Ursa's eyes began tearing again. "I'm so proud of you."

And without another word, she embraced him, hugging tightly. Zuko felt relaxed, and for the first time, at peace. For once, everything seemed to be going right for him.

And he would keep it that way.

* * *

"We already know about the Solar Eclipse, and we were planning an invasion of the Fire Nation. We were hoping for help from Earth Kingdom troops, but that doesn't seem to be an option now," Qi Yi said. "It is all up to us."

"Do you really have enough troops?" Toph asked.

The older General shook his head. "Sadly, no. Hopefully, with the fall of Ba Sing Se, many soldiers will join up with us, wanting to put an end to the Fire Nation once and for all."

Katara shook her head, too. "Not to the Fire Nation. The Fire Lord himself."

"What, so we just let his troops invade while we send small, elite teams to assassinate him?" the Water Tribe General said rudely.

"No, I get what she's saying," Sokka said. "We set up a full invasion of the capital city, and while that's being used as a distraction Aang goes in and beats the Fire Lord!"

"Not alone he's not!" Toph suddenly yelled.

"You guys can't fight the Fire Lord," Aang said calmly, shaking his head. "It's too dangerous for the rest of you."

"Hah! Me? Aang, you need us. We're all in this together," Toph said, crossing her arms with a satisfied smile on her face while Aang stumbled to find words.

"Toph's right," Katara said with a similar smile. "We're with you, Aang."

"Till the very end!" Sokka added in.

"You'll need all the help you can get," Suki said supportively.

"The problem is--," Qi Yi interrupted their declarations, "we still don't have enough troops. The Fire Nation completely outnumbers us."

"My Kyoshi Warriors can help," Suki pointed out.

"And what about my Dad and his warriors?" Sokka suggested.

"Well, with the rebel troops, we can free Omashu... and with the aid of those troops, we'd be able to liberate Ba Sing Se, and then finally we could invade the Fire Nation!" Katara exclaimed.

"Yes, we were planning that... but still, it would be very difficult," Dizi said, shrugging. "If we fail, there are no second chances."

"There are always risks during war," Aang said wisely.

Qi Yi suddenly spoke again. "There is a powerful man living in a port town called Bai Bai. He, like us, is against the Fire Nation. He was once a rebel working with us. Avatar, I would appreciate it if you would seek him out for me. We could use his help."

"I'd be glad to," Aang said, nodding. He said it solemnly and full of pride—he seemed to be just like the Avatar he was supposed to be.

"He goes by the codename 'Dragon Deserter.' Search for him in Bai Bai, his followers are all around, he shouldn't be difficult to find," Qi Yi said.

"The 'Dragon Deserter'..." Aang murmured.

* * *

Later that night, Katara walked through the Jihen streets alone. She didn't feel afraid, the night felt oddly peaceful and serene, as if nothing could go wrong. Everyone else was in the Underground's hideout, sleeping. The waterbender just felt that she needed some fresh air. She didn't like spending lots of time underground, though Toph felt much different about that.

Her walk slowly brought her to the outskirts of the great city, and her thoughts turned to Zuko. The rest of the day, he was uncharacteristically happy. Every once in a while, when he thought nobody was looking, she'd see him smile lightly for no apparent reason. Even when they feasted he asked Katara politely to pass the meat over.

It seemed that with his mother back, almost all of his stresses in life were completely gone. Katara welcomed these changes, but it didn't feel like Zuko, the crazed teenager that hunted them for months. Now he felt like a completely different person, just as she was finally getting used to the broody firebender that remained silent in most of their conversations. He was still quiet, but it wasn't a moody silence anymore.

She hoped that would change after a while, because now seemed to be the best chance to get him permanently on their side.

In her wandering, she came upon a small garden on Jihen's outskirts. There were a few trees surrounding a pond, with one thick tree that was closest to it. Sitting at the base of this tree was, of all people, Zuko himself. Kind of odd, really. She was just thinking about him...

She was about to leave quietly and pretend she never saw him, but the firebender spotted her first.

"What are you doing here?" It wasn't rude, just a simple question.

"I wanted some fresh air," she replied just as simply. Damn, she really wanted to waterbend a little by the pond... She was slowly turning around to leave when he spoke again.

"If you want to stay here, I'll go," he offered quietly. Her eyes widened; was he really being kind to her?

"No, no. Don't worry about it. I'm sorry for interrupting you."

"It's fine, I wasn't doing anything."

"Maybe... maybe we can both sit here," Katara said, wincing as she said it. Zuko showed no signs of response, so she took this as a yes. She sat down not far from the Prince.

The two sat in an awkward silence for a while, until Katara decided to break it, not being able to deal with it.

"Um... thanks, for earlier," she said.

He looked confused by this.

"For... saving my life," she said slowly. It felt like days before, but really it was only hours.

"You already repaid it, no need for thanking me."

"No... that was because... Well, not for that reason. It was more impulse than anything," she said with an innocent shrug.

"Thank you," he said quietly. Katara strained to hear it—it was barely a whisper. She knew what he meant. The waterbender nodded. Her fingers dipped into the water, swirling around and around. She brought them up slowly, bringing the tiny whirlpool with them.

"I'm happy for you," she said finally, after a few minutes of silence.

"...Why?"

"Your mother. She seems kind, you are very lucky."

He nodded, quietly staring at the whirlpool in her hands. "Maybe your mother is out there somewhere too, alive."

"I doubt that. I saw her die," she whispered, her voice breaking slightly.

Zuko put his head down. "I'm sorry."

"What was your life like... without her?" she whispered, staring into his amber eyes.

"Terrible... She was the only one around to protect me from my father," he whispered painfully. Katara felt pity for him—her life was somewhat enjoyable. She learned to move on, and she had family supporting her the whole way. Zuko never had that. Maybe all he really needed was a family? And friends?

"Maybe we should all start over," Katara said, her voice a little stronger this time.

"What do you mean?"

"I think you need a friend," she offered, smiling slightly.

"Friends..." The banished Prince seemed to be lost in thought, staring at the pond's slight ripples in the nighttime wind. "...I'd like that."

Katara closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and feeling fairly satisfied. So what, she was friends with someone from the Fire Nation now. He wasn't as bad as she thought, truthfully.

"Well, we'd better get to bed. We're leaving around noon tomorrow, so you'd better be ready," she said, smiling fully now and standing up.

And with the tiniest hint of a smile, he answered, "I will."

* * *

Early the next day, Ty Lee woke up bright and smiling, much like she always did. And, like always, she dragged Mai up with her. She was determined to make her a morning person. They left the rebels' hideout and walked around the city streets, revisiting areas they had already been to. Mai was extremely bored with the whole thing.

"Look at that bag, it's so pretty!" Ty Lee exclaimed, hopping between shopping stalls so fast that it looked like she teleported. "Aw, look at that ferret-bunny kitten!"

Mai sullenly walked through the middle of the street, the pink bubbly girl moving around with some unknown energy.

"Keioushi! Nodoka!" Ty Lee yelled, running up to the two teens that she spotted.

Putting a smirk on, Keioushi waved to her. Nodoka pretended the acrobat wasn't even there.

"What's up, Ty Lee?" said Keioushi.

"Nothin' much, we're just going for a walk," the girl answered flirtingly, holding her long braid.

"What're two pretty girls doing alone out here? Can we join you?" the muscled teen asked, holding his arm out. Ty Lee took it, blushing.

"Wow, they're so immature," Mai muttered to Nodoka. The silent warrior nodded.

"Keioushi is certainly something."

"You _obviously _don't know Ty Lee yet," she said, watching the other two flirt with each other. Nodoka's mouth twitched into a small smile, and Mai felt hers do the same.

"But _all _guys are stronger," Keioushi said. They had apparently gotten into an argument while Mai and Nodoka talked.

"Ha-ha! Good one!" Ty Lee said, slapping her knee and laughing.

The red-haired teen raised an eyebrow. "Want me to prove it?"

Ty Lee raised her fists. "Come on, then!"

"He has no problem hitting a girl he was flirting with?" Mai asked Nodoka.

The silver-haired warrior shook his head. "He has no qualms about it if his pride was damaged."

Ty Lee cartwheeled up to Keioushi, ducking under one of his wide punches. She bent behind him, jabbing at a pressure point under his right shoulder blade. The boy was apparently ambidextrous, since he spun around and punched at the girl with his left hand. She ducked under it just in time, getting behind it and punching him several times in the chest.

His right arm hung limply, but his left grabbed the girl—almost fully around her skinny waist—and pushed her away.

"You made my arm go limp!" Keioushi complained. "But you're fast!"

"And you're strong!" Ty Lee ran up to the martial artist, ducking under both of his punches (his right arm seemed restored already) but jumped almost over him, landing on his shoulders. She stood there with perfect balance, until he grabbed her ankles and pulled them out from under her. She was now hoisted on his back, her legs dangling on his front side. "Put me down!"

She was able to reach the back of his legs, and jabbed there painfully. His leg gave out under him, and he fell to his knee. Unfortunately, she missed the pressure point. He picked her up with both hands, holding her away from him as she punched and kicked furiously. She stopped struggling, positioning herself so that her head was pointed in his direction, and she lunged forward, head butting him right in the chest. He fell on his back, with Ty Lee sitting on top of him.

She blushed furiously, but he took this as anger.

"Hehe heh, you're good," he complimented. The two had gathered a crowd during their fighting. "Attacking my pressure points is a good idea."

He rolled over, putting the small girl under him. "Hey!" she yelled, her face turning red. Without thinking, he leaned in and kissed her, feeling himself blushing in the process. She stopped trying to push him off, and sank into it, kissing him back.

"...That was unexpected," Mai said plainly.

* * *

At around noon, the Avatar and his friends were ready to leave, and now even Keioushi wanted to come with him. Ty Lee supported the idea, so Aang accepted his offer. Unfortunately, now it was even more cramped on the Flying Bison's saddle. They were outside of the city's wooden walls, hidden in the surrounding forest. Qi Yi, Ursa, and Dizi came to see them off.

"We have given you supplies for the journey," Qi Yi said.

"Thanks, we're going to have to stop and rest a lot now, too. We'll make good use of those," said Aang.

Ursa was speaking to her son not far away from everyone else. "I'm glad you made the right decision. It looks like you are succeeding in life now."

"Thanks, Mom," he said, just glad to be in her company. It was almost like when he was little, except he was taller than her now.

"Be sure to come back safe," she said sternly, looking into his eyes. He nodded.

"We'll come back fine, with this 'Dragon Deserter' too. Why can't you tell us his real name?"

"It's for his own safety," she replied. "Your friends are waiting for you. Now go, and good luck!"

All of them sat cramped on the bison, barely able to get in a comfortable position.

"Why do we have to keep picking people up?" Sokka wondered aloud.

"Would you rather I didn't come?" Suki asked, crossing her arms.

"No, I'm glad you're here!" he recovered quickly. Satisfied, Suki smiled.

Qi Yi stood next to the giant bison. "You will have to cross the Cahdeham Mountains; it is the fastest way to the port town. Unfortunately, you can't take a ferry for your own safety."

"Thank you," Aang said, bowing. "We'll see you all again, back here with the Dragon Deserter!"

"Good luck, guys!" Dizi called.

"Appa, yip, yip!" Aang said, as the bison flew into the air, everyone on board him waving goodbye.

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter seems kinda short only because it's mostly dialogue. Next chapter is where stuff starts to really get going. I can't wait! Unfortunately, I'll be away for the week. I think I'll be back around Friday or Saturday :/...**

**Woohoo! Zuko and Katara are on the next stage of their relationship, lol. Also, I started the Keioushi/Ty Lee stuff. Yupp, she's with an OC. I don't really like her with anyone else, except possibly Sokka, but I like Sokka/Suki better. Sorry for all of you who hate OCs! Oh, and you guys can probably figure out who the Dragon Deserter is. It isn't very hard.**

**Please review! I didn't get as much for last chapter:D**


	12. The Spirit Guide

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! I just got back from my vacation today. Anyway, here's a little challenge for you guys. Can you figure out what Cahdeham means? Here's a little hint: If you've played Final Fantasy X, you might be able to figure it out... If you had a certain translator.**

**Speaking of Final Fantasy, a lot of things in this story will be influenced by those games. Some of it is accidental, like Katara's super-quick healing of Nodoka's arm, lol. I'm so used to 'cure' spells...**

**A big thanks to: Hold on Tight, Tefnut Talvi, Harlequin Jade, AnimeAngel90, MadnessinmyMethod, dantebascoluver, ZutaraFan4, Duchess192, and Cherry-Blossom-Love.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Avatar.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 12: The Spirit Guide_

"The Cahdeham Mountains... I've never heard of them," Katara remarked.

"Well, according to this map they're not very big," Sokka said, scanning the thin, old piece of paper.

"It's in Earth Kingdom legend, man," Keioushi said. The newest member of their group was previously deep in conversation with Ty Lee.

Suki nodded. "Yes. Most people avoid it, though." Appa was flying high in the sky, the rolling plains passing by beneath them.

"Why?" Aang asked, keeping an ear in the conversation.

"It is believed to be haunted," said Nodoka. The group was getting used to the silver-haired warrior's prolonged silences, so when he suddenly spoke a few of them jumped.

"I don't believe in ghost stories," Zuko said quietly.

"I don't either. They're all children's stories," Toph said, as if children's stories were beneath her.

"Well, um, I don't like ghosts!" Ty Lee squeaked, visibly quivering.

"Tell us the story!" Aang said eagerly. It was Suki who responded.

"For almost one hundred years, the Fire Nation troops in the area have been afraid of—"

"Look, Aang! Somewhere to camp tonight!" Ty Lee yelled, pointing below. It seemed as if she wanted to interrupt the story. The rest of the group looked down, seeing a dilapidated old hut on a small hill. The thatched roof had holes in places, and the circular stone hut had several cracks in them, visible from the distance. An old, crumbling well sat near the building.

"It looks abandoned," Mai pointed out. "We should camp there."

"I dunno, it doesn't feel right..." Aang said.

"Come on Aang, it's not like anyone lives there or anything. Look at the place!" Sokka said, motioning to the old hut.

"Well, I guess you're right..." Aang said, shifting the reins to tell Appa to swoop down on the place. Momo screeched from atop the airbender's head, perched like an odd hat. "What's wrong, Momo?"

The huge bison landed, causing a heavy thud on the ground. The riders got off gratefully, stretching their limbs from lack of use.

"So who do you guys think this 'Dragon Deserter' is?" Katara questioned.

"I dunno, what are the odds of us ever meeting him before?" Sokka asked, holding his sleeping bag under one arm and heading to the hut's door. He pushed it open with a loud creak. "Good. Looks like room for all of us in here. Except for one. I vote Princey stays outside."

"Sokka!" Katara yelled at her brother.

"Come on Sokka, come up with something better," Toph grumbled. Zuko looked infuriated.

Aang laughed. "How about Zuzu?"

Sokka burst into laughter. "_Zuzu_?"

Katara laid a hand on the firebender's shoulder, who looked ready to attack the three of them. "Ignore them."

"My sister calls me that..." he muttered silently.

"They don't really mean it—they call us all things jokingly. Brighten up a little bit, okay?" Katara said, her lips curling into a smile.

"Hey! Who're you kids!?" shouted a loud, coarse voice. It sounded like an old woman. Indeed it was, as they all saw her coming up the hill towards the hut. She looked like an old witch, complete with the long, conical hat and dirty brown robes. She hobbled up to them, a scowl on her old, wrinkled face.

"IT'S THE GHOST! _RUN_!" Ty Lee screamed.

* * *

Azula walked along the path, the old man ambling behind her. She was infuriated by this means of travel.

"I feel like a peasant," she said with a snarl.

"Well, I guess it is like a form of discipline," Iroh said matter-of-factly.

"I don't need discipline," she seethed, walking proudly with her chin up. Her black and gold Fire Nation armor completed the look, and she was satisfied only slightly.

"What happened to the young girl that used to sit on my lap, eager to listen to fairy tales?"

Azula scoffed. "She never was. I wanted war stories, you old fool."

"Oh? I recall hearing requests of unicorns and beautiful dragons."

"We need a lead on the Avatar," Azula said, changing the subject.

"You are just like Zuko, thinking only of your goals. You need to relax and take a break every once in a while." Iroh shook his head. "A Princess needs her rest."

"So you could kill me in my sleep and run?"

"Kill my own niece? Do you even hear what you are saying? And by the way, I could have escaped any time I wanted, since I can easily defeat you," Iroh pointed out.

"So why didn't you?" she said through clenched teeth.

"I chose to stay."

They were silent for a few moments as they entered a forest. It was getting dark soon. Azula didn't care, only an idiot would ambush her.

"It was father," Azula muttered.

"Hm?" Iroh wanted her to continue.

"It is difficult to satisfy him. I am the strongest child and still he isn't satisfied."

"Ozai is a difficult man."

"I will get it once this war is won," she said, sounding eerily determined.

_So... she is just a girl who wants her father's love..._ Iroh thought. _There is still hope for her._

Suddenly, the sound of swords clanging against armor brought him back to his surroundings.

* * *

The group of kids jumped on Appa with amazing speed, Ty Lee screaming the whole way. Before the old woman could reach them, the bison was up in the air.

"That... was scary!" Katara said, breathing hard. Zuko seemed to come to his senses.

"Why did we just run from a harmless old lady?"

"I guess the fear of the moment just caught up with us," Suki said, catching her breath. "That place was just really creepy."

Sokka put an arm around his girlfriend. "I wasn't scared," he boasted.

"Wasn't it you that screamed the loudest?" Suki countered coolly. Aang and Toph burst out laughing.

"L-let's just get far away from that place, pronto!" Ty Lee said eagerly, sounding a little scared. She pointed forward towards the mountains looming in the distance.

* * *

Two hooked swords clashed with Azula's armlets, holding them apart. The Princess brought up her leg in an axe kick to the boy's chest, sending him away and freeing her arms.

_Who is this kid that's stupid enough to attack _me

A blue flame lit up in her palm, and she was ready to throw it at the bandit when a smaller figure came from the bushes, kukri in hand. Azula could tell that it was a girl, and she weaved through Azula's blasts of fire, getting up close to the Princess's chest and punching her. Before the girl could swipe with her knife, Azula jumped back.

"Mushi! _You dirty firebender_!" the hooked-swordsman said with a snarl, attacking Iroh. The old man ducked between the blades, not shooting flames at him.

"Jet! Smellerbee! So nice to see you again! Please, let me explain!"

"Why should I? You helped take over Ba Sing Se!" Jet swung his left blade at him, yelling out, "the world's—" he swung with the right, "—last—" Jet held both weapons in an X-shape, ready to slit the old man's throat, "—foothold!"

Before he could deal a killing blow, Azula hit Smellerbee away with an arc of flame, sending a kick at Jet and knocking his feet out from under him. Iroh nodded to her in thanks, completely unscathed. She ignored him, spitting flame from her fingers at Jet.

"Traveling with more firebenders? What happened to Li?" Jet demanded angrily.

"Stupid boy! Will you stop fighting and let me explain?"

"Firebenders never show mercy, so why should I?"

Azula suddenly jumped in the way. "You're ready to fight to the death? Fine. But I was about to show mercy to the person brave enough to attack _me_, Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation and conqueror of Ba Sing Se!"

* * *

A half hour later, the group of kids were sitting around a campfire that Zuko started at Katara's request.

"So has anyone ever been to Bai Bai?" Keioushi asked lazily, lying on the ground with his hands behind his head, staring at the blood red sky.

"I have, but that was before it was called Bai Bai. I used to have an earthbender friend there," Aang said. "It was always a port town, though."

"So back then, you had friends from _all _Nations?" Sokka asked incredulously.

"Yupp."

"Who would ever make friends with a firebender?" Sokka asked, as if the notion completely confused him.

"Sokka, are you _trying _to make Zuko angry?" Katara scolded him.

"Why are you defending him?" he said angrily, standing up.

"Wait—Zuko!" Katara yelled, as the Fire Prince got up and walked away. "Look what you did, Sokka!"

"Come on, tell me why you're defending him! He's Fire Nation, Katara. He's our enemy!"

"He is _not _our enemy! If he was, he would have killed us in our sleep a long time ago!" the angry waterbender countered.

"Um, guys..." Aang said feebly.

"He happens to be my _friend_!"

Sokka was wide-eyed. "You've become friends with him? Katara, don't be so stupid! He's trying to get you to trust him and then he'll just betray you!"

"I'm not the one being stupid! Stop being prejudiced, Sokka! Not everyone from the Fire Nation is bad!"

"Guys..." Aang tried again.

"Oh yeah? Name three people!"

"Mai, Ty Lee, and—"

"—Zuko doesn't count!" Sokka interrupted.

"Come on, guys!"

"IROH!" Katara yelled.

"Whoa, you're Fire Nation?" Keioushi asked Ty Lee, who was in his arms. She nodded, watching the sibling's bickering. The martial artist shrugged.

"_GUYS_!" Aang yelled in equal volume. Sokka and Katara were silent.

"What?" they demanded, angry at being interrupted.

"Zuko is gone." Toph's voice was so normal-toned that they all calmed down.

* * *

Jet's eyes slanted in anger directed at Azula. "_You _were behind it?"

"Yes, and don't give any credit to Zuko. He chickened out and now he's traveling with the Avatar," she snorted. "My brother is a weakling."

"Aang!" Smellerbee yelled in panic, worried for the Avatar. Jet went on the attack again, slashing at the Princess relentlessly. Her black armlets blocked the attacks, and she sent streams of blue flame at the rebel. Each one missed or was blocked by his sword as he continued attacking. At the same time, the girl attempted to sneak up behind her, but Iroh put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Let them handle it," he said to her. She nodded, having respected the man when they knew him as Mushi. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed through the air, imbedding in Azula's shoulder. She let out a shriek of pain, and then held up her left hand to shoot flames at the hidden archer. Iroh jumped in, grabbing her wrist. "Don't do it, Azula! You'll burn down the whole forest!"

"I don't care!" she yelled, raising her left arm again. Her whole right arm hung limply at her side. As she did this, Jet used the hooks on the ends of his swords skillfully and grabbed the firebender's wrists, twisting them. He heard a disgusting snap that signified that her wrist was broken. Azula yelled in rage again, unable to attack. Smellerbee kicked the back of her legs, causing her to stumble and fall on her knees. Azula let out another painful, pitiful scream again, full of rage about being defeated in such a humiliating way.

"Kill me now," she growled.

"Azula, no. You have a long life ahead of you, don't throw it away now!" Iroh scolded, his tone unusual.

"She deserves to die for what she did," Jet said hatefully, as Longshot emerged from the trees. Iroh pulled the arrow from her shoulder as she yelled in pain again.

"Attack her and I will unleash my full rage on you," Iroh said threateningly. "Let us explain first!"

"Jet, I think we should give him a chance—" Smellerbee started. She was interrupted by the metallic clang of Jet's swords falling to the floor.

"Now, let's get her wrist and shoulder bound tightly, we need to staunch the bleeding and get her wrist in a sling," Iroh said. Smellerbee rummaged through her pack, pulling out long, white bandages and a brown cloth. Longshot ran to a nearby stream to fill up a bowl of water.

"Stop struggling," Iroh ordered, wrapping up her wrist tightly. She growled in pain again, like a wounded animal, wanting to strike at any second. With the brown cloth, he made a sling on her left arm.

When Longshot returned with the water, he dabbed at the bloody wound on her right shoulder, cleaning up the blood and wrapping it up tightly in the bandages. Azula moaned as he tightened it.

"Explain," Jet ordered, crossing his arms and watching Iroh tend to her wounds. The old man sighed.

* * *

Zuko ran from them, wanting to get as far away as he could. He wanted to go back to Jihen, to be with his long-lost mother.

He felt anger at Sokka, for constantly yelling and being annoying. He always had something to say, and only Katara stood up for him. His first friend. His only friend.

How would Zuko be a friend in return? He had no idea _how _to. Would he fail this too, like he failed everything else? Perhaps he already failed when he ran away from them.

The firebender came to a cliffside, sitting down on the edge. They were getting closer to the mountains, so the elevation was getting higher. It was quite a long drop. The piece of land he was on extended slightly away from the sturdier ground behind it. At the moment, he didn't care.

Why did the world hate him so much? He never really harmed the Avatar or his friends, or anyone else for that matter. His mother said he was a good person, so why wasn't life easier for him? His Uncle used to speak of karma, so shouldn't he be getting good karma?

Thinking of Iroh, Zuko felt another twinge of sadness. He barely spared a thought for his Uncle, and now he was probably being tortured, or even worse, because Zuko couldn't rescue him. Would he fail Iroh, too?

Zuko slammed his fists on the ground in anger, and immediately he regretted doing that. The cliffside crumbled, causing Zuko to fall with it. He yelled out in surprise, but before he could grab onto something, he landed on hard stone. Confused, he looked down. A slab of stone that wasn't there before erected from the cliffside, keeping him from falling. He wondered if it was Toph that saved him.

As he climbed back up, he noticed it wasn't the blind earthbender. It was that witch-lady from before, wearing the old, worn hat and dirty, patched robes.

"What're you doing over here, kid?" the woman asked. Her voice was unsurprisingly rough. He was spared for answering when he saw several of his comrades run up towards them, shouting his name in relief. Namely, it was Katara, Suki, Aang, Toph, and Ty Lee.

"Oh no, it's the witch again!" Ty Lee yelled in a panic. She started to run, but Toph grabbed her by the sleeve.

"Guys, we found him!" Aang hollered.

"She saved my life," Zuko said to them. Ty Lee immediately calmed down. Sokka, Keioushi, Mai, Nodoka, and Momo came up to them, panting.

"You must be the Avatar," the witch said, eyeing Aang.

Aang looked at her nervously. "Yes."

"Don't kill us with your witch powers!" Ty Lee whimpered, cowering behind Toph. The earthbender groaned, annoyed.

The old lady did something else unsurprising—she cackled. "I'm no witch, girl!"

Ty Lee looked at her, confused. "Then who are you?"

"I am Isodira, and I am the Spirit Guide."

"I TOLD you she was a ghost!" Ty Lee yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the old lady.

"What's a Spirit Guide?" Aang asked her, ignoring Ty Lee.

"The dead need guidance," Isodira said, in an unusually solemn voice. "I help bring lost souls to the Spirit World."

"I've never heard of that before," Katara murmured, lost in thought.

"We don't expect you to, seeing as you've lived in the South Pole your whole life," Sokka muttered. She slapped him.

"Wait a minute, how come I feel a certain... familiarity... with you?" Aang asked, also lost in thought.

"There are always five certain people in the world that have a certain closeness to the Spirit World. You, being the Avatar, are the closest," Isodira explained.

"Who are the others?" Suki asked.

"I believe you know them. There is Guru Pathik the Spirit Teacher, Huu the Spirit Protector, and Iroh, the one who can speak with spirits." Zuko's eyes widened in shock. His _Uncle _was one of the five connected to the Spirit World? His shock went unnoticed by Isodira, who suddenly looked unfocused. She was staring at nothing, but she began muttering something under her breath. A chill went down all of their spines. Zuko had a feeling it was one of the spirits passing to the Spirit World.

Aang was smiling, but for what Zuko had no clue.

"Aang?" Katara asked. Her voice seemed to drag him from whatever he was thinking of, but he still had the smile on.

"Sorry. I'm just kind of happy that I'm not the only one with a connection to the Spirit World, that's all."

Isodira shook her head, finishing with her muttering. "Now, where are you all heading?"

"The port town of Bai Bai, where we need to find some dude to help with the rebellion," Keioushi said.

"Ah, no ferry?"

"Nope."

"Be careful then, since you're heading through the Cahdeham Mountains. There is a legend of a _real _Ghost-Witch in there," Isodira said.

"_What_?" Ty Lee whimpered.

"That's the myth I was trying to tell before," Suki said, sighing.

"There was a girl that lived up in the mountains, and according to legend, had control over spirits. Also, she was rumored to have the power to vanish and reappear at will. Ninety years ago was when she started popping up in legends—she used to scare away Fire Nation troops. From what, nobody knows. None have had the courage to pass through the mountains," Isodira explained.

"Who... W-was she?" Ty Lee stuttered.

"If I remember correctly, her parents were the war's first casualties. She lived as an orphan in solitude until she died, haunting the mountain passes afterwards."

"It's so sad..." Katara said sorrowfully. Isodira nodded.

"I still don't believe in ghost stories," Sokka said. Toph and Zuko nodded.

"It doesn't matter. Either way, we'll have to pass through the mountains," Aang declared.

"Who better to solve a problem with a rogue spirit than the Avatar?" Isodira said roughly.

"Thank you, Isodira. We'd better get going now," Aang said, bowing.

"It is an honor, Avatar. Good luck with your ghost troubles!" she cackled, hobbling towards the direction of her hut.

"That lady's a nut," Ty Lee said, staring at her.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Once again, sorry for the delay. It won't happen again anytime soon.**

**Oh, um... Another disclaimer. I don't own the Ghost-Witch or the story behind her! I do own the Spirit Guide, though. I have more to say about the Ghost-Witch in later chapters.**

**I liked this chapter a lot. Please review!!**


	13. The King of Dragons

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Avatar... or Final Fantasy. The biggest Final Fantasy reference so far (and will probably be the only one) is in this chapter. You don't have to play the games to understand it.**

**Thanks to: AnimeAngel90, Shadowsole, Hold On Tight, Alexandraya, Harlequin Jade, and ZutaraFan4. Again, sorry for the wait last chapter! This quick update is making up for it.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 13: The King of Dragons_

"Do we _have _to go through the mountains?" Ty Lee complained.

"We can't fly over. Appa doesn't have the strength to carry all of us," Katara responded.

"Aw, poopie."

At the current time, the Avatar Gang was setting up camp at the base of the mountain. It would be their final rest on this side of them.

The mountains themselves were rather plain in appearance. They were as tall as any other mountains they had seen, with a few trees dotting the sides. The only difference was a heavy mist that obscured the whole top from them, and probably descended into the valleys in between the gargantuans. At the moment, Toph and Aang were walking up them, carving a path for the rest of the gang to walk on later.

Suddenly, they heard a loud, piercing scream. Everyone tensed and looked up, worried for their two friends up the mountain, since the scream came from there. Suddenly, moments after the scream, Aang flew from the mist on his glider—Toph was visibly hanging on to him for dear life. As they came down, almost everyone laughed.

"_Never _make me do that again," Toph said aggressively.

"Come on, it's not that bad. You know you enjoyed it!"

"Let's go train—I want to kick your ass now," said Toph, smirking. Aang gulped.

The Avatar got into a stance, waiting—and listening—for Toph to attack. She held out her arms to her sides, and several boulders erupted from the ground. They paused in midair for the smallest second, and flew at Aang with threatening speeds. He crouched, and then flicked both hands, pulling up two slabs of stone to defend himself. He waited for the loud crashes to end, and then punched one side of his wall, sending out the slab to attack her. She sidestepped, kicking the ground and causing a small quake to hurt Aang. Making sure he wasn't bending any air, Aang jumped—with pure earthbending. Twenty feet in the air, a large boulder came from the ground. Aang bent back, holding both fists together. When he went as far as he could go, he slammed both fists into the boulder, sending it flying towards Toph at deadly speeds. She quickly made a hole in the ground. Jumping into it, she avoided the attack just barely.

From underground, she was most dangerous.

Punching the ceiling, she sent pillars of stone up into the air and straight at Aang, who jumped from them, using them as leverage to hit the ground at top speeds. He landed on both feet. Whatever happened next seemed to be in slow motion for both of them, but as Aang landed, the tunnel Toph made was caved in.

But as he landed, Toph jumped up, sending both fists into the air and punching through the ground, meeting his feet head on. Suddenly, Aang was thrown high into the air, higher than he was before. Toph emerged from the ground, covered in a "healthy coating of earth."

As he fell, Aang cushioned the ground, putting his fingers inside and pulling up a rock to throw at her. She blocked with a slab of stone, and then threw it at Aang. He was still trying to land properly, so it hit him head-on. Aang groaned when he hit the ground, but quickly got up. He was determined to think like an earthbender when he responded to the attack with stronger attacks of his own.

Huge boulders were sent flying at Toph, who pulled up a thick wall to defend herself with. Three of the boulders bounced off her shield and continued with their normal speed. Aang gasped.

"Look out!" he yelled. The boulders crashed into the mountainside, right above the group's campsite. The rubble left over from Toph and Aang's path-making quivered, and then fell. Everyone scurried out of the way—except for Katara, who was sitting against the mountainside. She was unable to rush out of the way in time.

"_Katara_!" Aang and Sokka yelled.

They all feared the worst. Katara wouldn't—_couldn't—_be crushed under all of those rocks and rubble. She was a waterbender, she was strong. She wouldn't allow herself to die. Overwhelming guilt coursed through Aang—he wouldn't forgive himself if she died. They all rushed over to the pile of rocks as Aang immediately began earthbending them all away.

"Toph, help me!" he cried. She shook her head sadly.

"I don't feel her under there. Aang, she's d—"

"_Don't say it!_"

"I saw something—it looked like a black blur," Mai said hopefully. Everybody ignored her, too focused on the pile of rocks and Aang throwing them everywhere. Sadly, Toph began to help him. Tears were falling from her eyes and Aang's.

"Shouldn't you be worried because of your new _friend_?" Sokka yelled desperately at Zuko. The firebender was looking around, searching for something.

"I saw it, too," was all he said. Nodoka and Keioushi watched silently, as Ty Lee was kneeling on the ground in a slumped position, fighting not to let the tears fall. Mai looked worried, but she began looking all around like Zuko did. Suki was hugging Sokka tightly, letting tears fall freely.

Suddenly, they heard a cheer, and they all looked up to see a long, black dragon. Zuko recognized it as the dragon Katara healed in the valley. In its claws was Katara, a happy smile on her face as she yelled to them. The dragon spiraled down, landing gracefully next to their campsite. It immediately let go of Katara, who landed on her feet. Sokka, Aang, Toph, and Ty Lee rushed over to hug her.

"Thank you, great dragon," Katara said gratefully, petting the jet black scales. The dragon roared, but stayed on the ground next to her.

"I thought I saw you," Zuko said, walking up to the dragon with a half-smile. Everyone walked up to it happily, running their fingers over its impenetrable scales.

"She doesn't look like she wants to leave," Katara said, laughing. The dragon roared again, turning its piercing eyes to Katara.

"Hm, guess not," Aang said gleefully.

"I've got an idea!" Toph suddenly shouted. "Let's keep it. We don't really have room on Appa anymore..."

"Let's name her... Xia, the raging fire," Aang suggested.

The dragon roared and shook its great head.

"Doesn't look like she likes it," Ty Lee said. "How about Yu Huo... the Fire of Desire!"

Again, the dragon roared and shook its head.

"Maybe it's not a girl..." Sokka wondered aloud.

"How can you tell?" Suki asked him.

"Girl dragons are more vicious," he answered.

"You got that right!" Ty Lee said proudly.

"Let's decide on a name later," Keioushi said, shrugging. "Dude, Zuko... maybe you can train Aang over there in firebending?"

"I didn't even think of that..." Aang murmured.

"Sounds like a good idea," Suki contributed.

"No."

Aang wasn't expecting this. "Please, I need to master all four elements before summer's end!"

"How can I teach you when I haven't mastered firebending myself?" Zuko countered, somewhat angrily. He walked away from them, and Aang hoped he was pondering his answer.

* * *

She was in absolute agony. Why would they do this to her? It was torture, it was injustice, it was _humiliating_! Right now, all she felt was overwhelming hatred and a desire to kill. They were below her, they were dirt—all four of them.

She screamed and screamed, yelling at them to leave her. Three of them were Earth Kingdom, dirt beneath her boot—much like their namesake. They deserved death for what they were doing to her. _Nobody _did this to royalty—She, the Princess of the Fire Nation!

The worst part, by far, was that she could do absolutely _nothing _about it. Sure, she could make a few sparks in her hand, but she had absolutely no control over them. Even her lightning was useless. Tiny forks of lightning danced between her fingers, looking absolutely weak. She could do nothing if she couldn't move her arms. Sure, she could try to fight them with her legs, but one could do little against four in a weakened state.

It was torture to feel as helpless as she was, after being used to feeling so much power.

She screamed like a spoiled Princess asking for a gift. She was having tantrums—something she hadn't done in a long time. As they walked, she showed hatred towards them, always telling them to shut up when they talked. Of course, they didn't listen. When they camped—something else Azula hated to do—she went back to screaming and screaming. They kept her away from civilization. They acted like fugitives since they had a captured Princess. The punishment, if they were discovered, was death. And Azula was determined to do it herself.

"_Shut up_, for the last time!" Jet yelled, absolutely irritated at her.

"Don't order me around, dirt!" she screamed.

"Azula, you are acting like a child," Iroh scolded. Recently, they had taken to tying her up and carrying her when they walked, or holding her forcefully, taking care _to_ agitate her wounds.

"I don't care!" she yelled shrilly.

"Zuko never acted like this. You have proven to me that he is the stronger person, the better man."

"_I hate you_," she said venomously. She hated them, she hated the world, and she hated herself. Her own plan backfired on her. She took Iroh prisoner, and now she was his prisoner. Her plans never backfired on her. She never lost. She was strong. She was Princess Azula of the Fire Nation.

"Admit you have lost, Azula," Iroh said.

"No! Let me go, let me go! I'll kill you all!" Her voice was beginning to get hoarse, and her throat was burning. She writhed on the floor, trying to get free of her binds. Pain shot up and down both arms, causing more agony. She screamed in pain.

"You are not very wise," Longshot pointed out. "Keep moving, and they will never heal."

"We have won, accept that and it will be easier for you," Iroh muttered, shaking his head. "You are such a stupid girl. I pity you."

Azula screamed in protest, but it was so loud that her words were incomprehensible. Finally, the screaming died out, and she stopped moving. She could not utter a sound anymore, her throat hurt too much.

For the first time ever, she, Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, lost. She was defeated. She had failed her father.

* * *

"Zuko, please. Teach him what you know, at least? Aang needs to be strong enough to defeat the Fire—," Katara's voice died out before she could utter the last word. Shortly after Zuko refused, Katara went after him to request him to teach Aang firebending. But she finally realized what they were asking him to do.

They were asking him to help Aang kill his own father.

"I'm sorry, I just realized—"

"That's not the reason why," Zuko muttered, staring straight ahead.

"Then...why?"

"I have not mastered firebending yet. If I teach him, I believe I will fail."

"Don't think that, you haven't even tried it yet! I taught Aang some things before _I _became a master," Katara said.

"You wouldn't understand."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Try me."

He looked up into her deep ocean blue eyes, and he could tell that she was pleading with him. Was this what friends did? Confide in each other?

"I have failed many things. And that is something we can't afford to fail."

"Don't worry about that, Aang's a good student."

"I have never taught anyone anything."

"I didn't either, it's not as hard as you'd think," she said, shrugging. "Please? Do it for the world. You're the only chance he has, being as you're the only good firebender out there that's capable of teaching him..."

He pondered it for a moment, and then finally answered. "Fine."

Then she did something unexpected. She hugged him from the side. Zuko was surprised, but he didn't return it. "Thank you!" she said gratefully. The two of them got up and walked back to camp. Aang looked up hopefully.

"Come," he said simply. Katara left him as Aang got up, and she took his place. Zuko led him to a small pond, and when the rest of the group was out of sight, Zuko could tell the young Avatar was nervous. He wondered why—was it because he was alone with Zuko, or was it because he was firebending?

"Do you know anything about firebending?" Zuko started.

"The stance, the breathing, and producing a small flame," Aang said, counting them off on his fingers. "But... I can't keep it in control," he said, slumping.

"Who have you learned from?"

"A man named Jeong Jeong, but our lessons were cut short when Zhao attacked his camp," Aang replied. Zuko felt a chill go down his spine at the mention of Zhao. He did know Jeong Jeong, having met him once or twice, but he didn't know he was still alive. He nodded.

"Firebending is a dangerous art. Never let it leave your control—this is easier if you don't make large fires. Firebending is all about offense," Zuko explained. A tiny flame lit up in his palm, and he motioned for Aang to do the same.

Suddenly, the black dragon lumbered towards them. Zuko jumped back, surprised. He almost forgot all about it. It was transfixed on the flame in his hand. It reared back its head, exhaling flames into the air. Aang laughed.

"I think he likes you, Zuko." Everyone else followed the dragon, coming over to the pond. The dragon edged closer to Zuko, extending one of its long whiskers to his forehead.

* * *

_There was a beautiful sapphire dragon flying over the ocean, extending her claws to touch the water. On top of her was a pale, black-haired girl, smiling joyfully._

_The scene switched to a younger dragon, and Zuko realized it was the black one communicating with him now. With the dragon was a _huge _silver one, which was probably its mother. A Fire Nation man stood next to the silver one, and he spoke to the younger black dragon._

"_A hundred years ago, firebenders looked to dragons as friends. Some used them as pets, riding them all over the world, adventuring and living peacefully with the other Nations. I want you to find a firebender worthy to ride you, someone you think could help bring peace back to this war-torn world."_

* * *

"So you want me to ride you?" Zuko whispered to the dragon in awe. The dragon shook its great black head up and down. "Can I meet that man?"

As soon as he asked, the dragon extended its whisker to him again.

* * *

"_You are a traitor to the Fire Nation," a man said. He was seated on a throne in a room Zuko recognized. He could not tell who it was—the man was shrouded in shadow. "You have been associating with the Water Tribes and Earth cities. I cannot allow that."_

"_But sir, I believe this world should live in peace. The people are tired of war, my lord," the other man answered. With a start, Zuko realized it was the rider of the silver dragon._

"_You shall be put to death," the Fire Lord answered, banishing him with a single wave of his arm. Soldiers emerged from corners of the room, taking the rider away._

"_So be it," he said._

* * *

Zuko did not remember this happening at all during the course of his life. Then again, Ozai put many people to death. "What should I name you?"

Once again, the dragon touched his forehead with one of its whiskers.

* * *

_He saw the rider again, walking through what seemed to be a temple. Judging by the color of the room—black, gold, and red—and the emblem, Zuko guessed it was located in the Fire Nation. This was obviously before the man was put to death._

_Next to the man was the small black dragon, easily fitting inside the large temple. The man stopped in front of a large mural, depicting many different colored dragons crowded around a large, mighty black dragon. They were on a mountain, lava flowing down the sides. Zuko saw many gold scales mixed with the black ones. The dragon looked majestic and proud._

"_This is one of the best parts of Fire Nation culture," the man said. "That is Bahamut, the King of Dragons. Since ancient times, the dragons have been an important part of our culture, and Bahamut was the very first dragon, so he is quite the figure in dragon lore. Unfortunately... not many dragons live in this world anymore, and they must rely on humans to pass the legends."_

* * *

"Bahamut... the King of Dragons," Zuko muttered. "Fitting."

The dragon roared in approval.

"What's he saying?" Aang asked eagerly.

"He... told me a story," Zuko replied.

"What did you say... that Bahamut thing?" Katara asked.

"That is what I named him."

Aang smiled. "Welcome, Bahamut. We'd love to have you in our group."

"Years ago," Zuko said, his voice rising slightly. "Dragons were friends to firebenders, much like Sky Bison are to airbenders."

"I dunno if I want that thing traveling with us..." Sokka said, eyeing Bahamut nervously. The dragon grunted at him.

"Who asked you?" Zuko said harshly.

"Who asked _you _to join us?" Sokka retorted. The two of them made to attack each other, but Katara stepped in between.

"That's enough," she said. The two of them cringed at her demanding voice.

Toph walked back towards the base of the mountain. "I guess we should get going."

"Why so early?" Suki asked.

"We should get to the other side before nightfall. If we delay, who knows what'll come out of those mountains at nighttime."

"She's right. Let's go," Aang said, hefting his staff. "Appa and Bahamut should come with us—sorry buddy—'cause we can't lose them again."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hope you guys all like the new addition to the team. Also, I'd like to thank a particular reviewer, **pachysam, **for inspiring this chapter. I dunno if you're still reading the story, but thanks! Originally, the dragon wasn't going to be in the story anymore, but you gave me that little idea and a whole chapter (and new character) was created around it.**

_**I **_**can't wait for next chapter, so it should be coming fast. The whole story was formed from it.**

**Please review:D**


	14. Isolation, Part 1, The Ghost Witch

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar. Also, remember that "kind-of OC" that I mentioned a few chapters back? I don't own her either, just her personality and stuff. Her history, however, doesn't belong to me and I do not claim to own it.**

**Also, I could **_**not wait **_**for these next two chapters. The whole story was formed around them... Also, this is kinda like one of those two-part specials that they sometimes do in the show, like the Spirit World ones, Secret of the Fire Nation, and the Guru/Crossroads of Destiny. So that is why I put them both in together.**

**Thanks reviewers! You're the best!—MadnessinmyMethod, Hold On Tight, AnimeAngel90, ZutaraFan4, Duchess192, and Shadowsole. Thanks for sticking with this story :D**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 14: The Ghost-Witch (Isolation, Part 1)_

The Toko Tunnels. That was what it said on the weathered old sign in front of them. The looming mouth of the tunnel was full of darkness, ready to devour them as soon as they entered. The lingering mist near the top of the mountain did not help to stifle their fear. Below the name of the tunnel, there were five words carved into the wood.

BEWARE OF THE GHOST-WITCH

"She doesn't exist," Mai said irritatedly to Ty Lee, who was cowering behind her.

"How do you know? Have you ever been here? Have you? Huh? Huh!?"

"Ty Lee!" several of them shouted, effectively shutting her mouth.

"Well, let's go, then," Aang said a little reluctantly, heading towards the mouth of the tunnel first. A tiny flame lit up in his palm, acting as a torch for the first people to follow him—Katara, who gulped nervously—Sokka and Suki, who held each other's hands— Toph, who walked alone, not looking edgy in the slightest—and Nodoka, followed closely by Keioushi.

"Keio! Wait for me!" Ty Lee yelled, rushing after the red-haired martial artist. She grasped his arm tightly. Mai rushed after her friend, and Zuko took up the rear, another flame lighting up in his hands. The tunnel was also easily wide enough for Appa and Bahamut to stand side-by-side, Appa grunting as they entered. Momo screeched from atop the bison, apparently in fear of the darkness.

They all walked on. For the first few minutes, everything was uneventful. This was not like the Cave of Two Lovers, because with a name like that, they weren't as scared, and the urgency in that situation cancelled it out.

Suddenly, winds blew at violent speeds, causing some of the lighter members to be thrown back slightly.

"What is this?" Suki yelled over the raging winds.

"It must be winds outside, blowing through the tunnel and enhanced somehow," Nodoka shouted, which sounded unusual from him. The flames in Aang and Zuko's hands were blown out. They all grabbed onto something for support, whether it be the rocky walls or one of the larger animals.

"I can't see!" Ty Lee cried. She was hanging on the back of who she was pretty sure was Keioushi. He was heavy and muscled, so he wasn't moving as much as her.

"Aang, this is just air, can't you bend it?" Katara yelled to the Avatar. He nodded, unable to shout back since the winds got stronger. Bahamut and Momo had their wings folded in, in order to avoid getting blown away. Toph was anchored to the ground with earthbending, while the rest of the group was holding on to something—anything—to keep them from being blown straight backwards and off of the mountain. Aang did the same as Toph, putting his feet into the ground. He was waving his hands like a wheel, in order to stop the air. The winds slowed, and then stopped, and they realized it was now blowing in the other direction.

"What _was _that?" Toph asked.

"It was like... unnatural," Keioushi said, his eyes wide.

"Exactly. I think it was a trap, like the ones in the Cave of Two Lovers. Except these are airbending traps," Aang said, his forehead creased.

Katara gasped. "You mean... airbenders?"

He shook his head. "No, there weren't any people in the Cave of Two Lovers, remember? It was a curse. This is probably like the same thing."

"But not with the love or the hippies," Sokka pointed out. Everyone looked at him, confused. Toph hit her palm on the wall, sending small tremors down the tunnel that everyone felt.

"Why'd you do that?" Suki asked.

"I was feeling for vibrations further down. Guys, this would normally be very complicated. But you have me now," Toph said triumphantly. "It's like a labyrinth. I can see the end, though. It's kinda far away, but we'll make it."

"Wait a minute..." Suki said. "If the exit is so far away, what could have caused those winds?"

"Didn't we go over that already?" Keioushi asked.

"I don't believe in curses," Suki countered.

"If you think it's a person, it's not," Toph replied. "I feel nothing ahead of us—no people, no animals. Nothing."

"W-What if it's the Ghost-Witch Isodira mentioned?" Ty Lee stammered.

"I would have felt her."

"Dead people don't have heart rates," Sokka pointed out to her. Toph punched him.

"Let's keep moving," Zuko said. None of them realized that they were able to see again, because Zuko relit the flame in his palm. His pale face looked ghostly in the firelight.

They walked on, Toph guiding them through the tunnels. They encountered no more traps, and nobody else spoke. Toph soon led them to a wide chamber. All around, there were statues of short, squat creatures with empty sockets where their eyes were supposed to be. Their tiny arms were folded in front of them, and their sharp-toothed mouths were open wide. Nobody had any idea what they were.

"What is this place?" Katara said in awe.

"Lookie here! There's writing!" Ty Lee shouted, pointing excitedly to a stone tablet in the center of the chamber. They all crowded around it. Katara began to read.

"Here lies Malu, young airbender protector of the mountain."

"She must be the spirit that haunts this place!" Sokka interrupted.

"_Shh_!" Suki hushed him.

"When the Fire Nation attacked her home, her parents took her and fled to the Cahdeham Mountains. Shortly after, in their hunt for more airbenders, the Fire Nation killed her parents, leaving Malu alone and orphaned in the mountains."

"How awful!" Ty Lee gasped.

"She took the task upon herself to protect the mountains, becoming a figure in Earth Kingdom legends by scaring away Fire Nation soldiers. She did this until the day she died."

"Protecting what, I wonder?" Mai said.

"Look, there's writing scrawled on the bottom!" said Aang.

"_Ever since death, she became known as the Ghost-Witch, and she scared all intruders away with her powers over the dead._"

Katara gulped. A moment later, Ty Lee screamed.

Pale figures came from the darkness above, the matter they were made of was constantly moving through them, like a cloudy, transparent crystal ball. It was impossible to distinguish their faces as they hovered slowly towards them. They were eerily silent, staring blankly ahead.

Mai threw a dart at one of them, but it passed harmlessly through. "I think we should run," she muttered. They all ran down the next tunnel, Aang swinging his staff behind them, sending gusts of wind at the ghosts. It seemed to work, since they disappeared.

Unfortunately, it didn't work for long.

From the darkness ahead of them, more white ghosts came. They immediately halted, skidding on the hard ground.

"There's no end to them!" Suki shouted. Sokka lifted his machete threateningly at them. "Sokka, weapons won't work."

Zuko, who was in front, made the flames in his hands into a jet of fire, clashing with the slightly transparent creatures. They dissolved away. Katara lashed out with tendrils of water, which went right through them, not harming them in the slightest.

"Why won't water work?" she shouted in frustration.

"They don't like the heat!" Keioushi yelled back.

"You should go after them, then," Ty Lee said, smirking. He smiled back at her.

Sokka smacked his forehead. "That was so cheesy..."

Toph blocked off the passage behind them, but the ghosts passed right through it. Their numbers intensified, they were being surrounded...

"Don't be afraid. The dead cannot harm us," Nodoka said. With his silvery hair, he looked almost like a ghost himself.

"_I beg to differ_," said a booming voice. It echoed from all around them. It sounded distinctly female, but they couldn't find the source.

"Who are you?" Aang shouted at it. There was no answer. The ghosts came closer; all they could see was white. Ty Lee looked as if she was going to die of panic. The group all gathered in a tight circle, all around Appa and Bahamut, Aang and Zuko on the outside, fighting off the ghosts. For the first time, they noticed a pair of skeletons not far from them—the Ghost-Witch's previous victims.

"We're gonna die... We're gonna die..." Ty Lee moaned. The ghosts passed through the people on the outside.

"Wait a minute..." Katara said, who was one of the ones on the outside. "Aang, these are just air!"

Aang seemed to realize the same thing. "You're right!" He sent powerful gusts of air at the figures, causing them to dissipate, but they reappeared seconds later. "Guys, just run through!"

They all complied, following the Avatar as he cleared a path for all of them. As harmless as they were, nobody wanted to willingly go through them. Bahamut snaked ahead of them all, blowing a white-hot jet of flame ahead. Because of that, it was too hot for the ghosts to come back. Unfortunately, it was too hot for the party to pass through. Nodding to Aang, the two waterbenders used their water skins and froze the walls, ceiling, and ground of the tunnel.

Malu the Ghost-Witch seemed to give up on summoning the dead, so blasts of air almost threw them all back again. "Keep going!" Aang shouted. They fought it, using their various bending techniques or plain, brute strength. They did this for several minutes, struggling against the intense pressure. Toph came up with the bright idea of sealing off the passageway with earth when they needed rest, bashing through it when they were done.

The second time this happened, gusts of wind came from behind them, slamming them all painfully against the stone wall.

"This is just... too much!"

Toph blocked off the other side, giving them a brief reprieve from all manners of wind. But now they felt surrounded—trapped.

"We've all got to work together," Katara announced. "Aang, you've got to keep a flame lit so we can see, then fight off any ghosts with air. Toph, you've got to go in front and guide us through. Zuko, help Aang with flames. Everyone else, keep pushing!"

This seemed to work for a while—even Katara helped, making walls of ice when Toph was too busy. They were able to fight on, persisting, willing to go all the way to the end.

Eventually, the winds stopped when they came to a large chamber, bigger than the other one. This one also looked the same, except that it was devoid of a tomb.

"How far's the exit?" Sokka asked Toph.

"We've still gotta go a little longer," she muttered in reply, not really concentrating on him.

"What is it, Toph?" Katara asked her.

"Someone's here." They all tensed, looking around nervously.

"Leave this place." The voice came from above them. It wasn't as booming or loud as before, but now she sounded quiet, timid... afraid.

"Malu!" Aang shouted, in front of them all. "We're here to help. I am the Avatar!"

Suddenly, from a ledge above them came a girl, jumping down and spinning her staff to land softly. She looked surprisingly... normal. Her clothing patterns and colors were similar to Aang's, except they looked more rugged and worn. Her hair was black and styled oddly like Azula's. Her eyes were stunningly similar to Aang. But she was taller, older, around sixteen or seventeen. Her staff was even the same as Aang's. What she didn't have was the blue arrows, so her forehead wasn't shaved. She wasn't an airbending master in life.

"Just leave!" she yelled, suddenly angry.

"O, dead spirit! Leave us in peace! We're just passing through," Sokka pleaded.

"We just want to get to Bai Bai. You need to rest—it's been a hundred years since you have died. Go over into the Spirit World."

Toph suddenly looked surprised. "Aang... she isn't dead!"

* * *

Azula was, to put it simply, broken. She was once a great Princess, unstoppable and cruel. She was the prodigy of the family. But now, she was humiliated. She was never used to much pressure—she was never under strain before. But these people defeated her so easy, so effortlessly. And they pitied her.

"You're a wreck," Jet pointed out to her. They were resting at the moment. She didn't even respond, too tired and too weak. She felt like an empty shell, devoid of feelings. Even if she wanted to bite back, her throat hurt too much to allow her. Everything hurt.

All of the arrogance and anger were gone. There was no longer any need for her to feel arrogant—what was there? She was weak. She was beaten. Her anger came full force before, but now... she felt empty, her anger was worn out. She was always fueled on arrogance, hatred, and the drive to be the best. When those were all gone... she was nothing.

All she wanted now was rest. Nothing mattered anymore except that.

Nothing. What an odd feeling.

"So what will we do now?" Smellerbee asked.

"We're still seeking out the Avatar," Jet said, shrugging.

"Yes. They can use our help," Iroh commented. "Azula, what do you think?"

She didn't answer, instead staring blankly at the ground.

"What're we going to do with her?" Jet asked him, staring at the pitiful girl. "Why are we doing this anyway?"

"I believe she still has some good inside of her. She may be cruel, she may be merciless, but deep down, she is just the little girl she always was."

"This is torture for her," Smellerbee said, staring at her sadly.

"Yes. But we are doing it because we don't have much time left. She needs rapid change. I know she can do it in the end. She is smarter than my nephew."

"How do you think that'll work?"

"Azula is a difficult person. All she ever wanted was satisfaction from others, to be treated as an equal by her father. In her weakened state, she will eventually learn that her father is even crueler than she is. He will not stop until he gets what he wants. She is like a slave to him... ever since she was a young girl, he carved her into a fierce warrior. By breaking the carving, she will break, and it will be easier for us to make a completely new person."

"Interesting logic. I don't think it will work, though," Jet said offhandedly.

"Have some faith," Iroh said to him. "This world needs some more faith and hope and trust."

"You're a very strange firebender," Jet said. Iroh smiled.

"Yes, yes I am. Now, who wants some tea?"

* * *

"Bad news, guys," Shuang announced. The three friends were scanning the wanted posters. Jin was looking intently at the one with Zuko's face on it, as if she wanted to burn the poster with her glare. Haru was looking at the picture of the Avatar and the waterbender, a worried look on his face.

"What is it?" Jin asked.

"We've become top priority in Bai Bai," he responded.

"So?" Haru asked, tearing his gaze away from the posters.

"Things will be really hard for us very soon. 'Admiral' Zhang has put up this order himself."

"Ah, he was promoted? He must've done something big," Haru commented. The last time they'd heard of him, he was a Lieutenant.

Jin's eyes widened. "We should be a bit more careful and discrete. That guy's dangerous."

Ever since meeting, the three friends _still _continued to sabotage the Fire Nation soldiers located in Bai Bai. They were all getting rather good at it, too. Jin felt much more confident with the katana, as did the other two with their respective arts. Unfortunately, neither Shuang nor Haru had a master yet.

Also, Shuang had taken to boasting of their accomplishments at local taverns, and now the soldiers wanted them more than ever. Jin scolded him for his actions, until he had an apologetic face. With a face like that, with his blue eyes wide and guilty, she couldn't keep yelling. He really was a sweet guy.

"Guys, that person over there knows who we are," Haru warned in a whisper, beckoning unassumingly to the woman eyeing them suspiciously.

"Crap, she's recognized us from the posters..." Shuang trailed off.

"...Because we're standing right next to them!" Jin whispered aggressively. The waterbender shrugged.

"Let's get out of here," Haru said, walking off. The other two fell into step right behind him. Jin looked behind her nervously, spotting the woman talking with Fire Nation troops and pointing in their direction.

"Run!" Jin yelled, pushing Haru ahead and grabbing Shuang's sleeve. A trio of spear-wielding soldiers ran after them, yelling out an alarm. The three friends split up, all going in separate directions. Jin was in a full sprint, weaving between buildings and people, pushing past them with a quick apology.

As she ran past buildings, she spotted Shuang running adjacently with her, but in the side-alleys. She smiled—he was always watching out for her.

Minutes later, they met together again in their apartment at the edge of town. The healer they met long before, Song, lived by them.

"What are you three up to now?" Song asked, hands on her hips. "I've been waiting here for a little while. I wanted to know if we could all go out to dinner tonight."

"Sorry, no can do," Shuang replied, panting.

"Why not?" Song asked, a little crestfallen.

"I think we've got to leave the city, it's too dangerous here for us now," Haru responded.

"Where will you go?" Song asked, worried for them. A little after they moved to Bai Bai, they befriended Song, too.

"We don't know," Jin said sadly.

"Try staying here for a few more days! Wait for it to blow over," she suggested.

"Only two more days," Shuang said firmly. "This is the Fire Nation we're talking about. We can't take chances with them."

* * *

"What?" Aang asked, staggering.

"She's... alive! She has a heartbeat and everything!"

"But we saw her tomb!" Keioushi yelled.

"Oh my Agni! It's attack of the living dead!"

"Shut _up _Ty Lee!"

Malu didn't react at all to them.

"Keioushi's right! We saw your tomb, how are you alive after all these years?" Aang said to her. And all of a sudden, the girl disappeared.

"Where'd she go?" Katara asked, sounding scared. They could all see the wind rushing at Aang, and then she reappeared, bashing Aang with her staff. He doubled over in pain.

Zuko reacted first by shooting flames at her, but again she disappeared. The air rushed all around them, appearing again behind Zuko. He was sent flying across the room, skidding across the floor painfully by a gust of wind. Katara attacked next, sending tendrils of water at the girl. They batted her away somewhat, but she quickly recovered and sliced through the air with her staff, and a small tornado threw away the waterbender.

The ground rose quickly under her, but she jumped above it effortlessly. Aang reentered the battle, along with Sokka, who threw his boomerang, Aang attacking her with water. She turned to air again, flying around Sokka. She reappeared behind him, and a whirlwind from her mouth threw him across the room. She circled around them all with the speed only an airbender possessed, but there were simply too many of them. Nodoka hit her with the butt of his spear, Keioushi and Ty Lee hit her with roundhouse kicks, and Toph covered her completely in rock. Now, she was trapped.

"Aang, she's—" Katara said to him excitedly, but Aang interrupted her.

"I know, but something's not right." Aang stomped his foot, breaking away her stony prison. "Who are you?"

"You... you really are the Avatar!" the girl yelled joyfully.

"If you just wanted proof you didn't have to fight us," Sokka pointed out. She ignored him.

"So you're... an airbender?" Aang asked nervously.

"Yes!" she confirmed.

"You mean... I'm not the last one?"

"I'm so happy! We've got to go back to the village!"

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked her, trying to calm her down.

"The village between the mountains. That's what I've been trying to protect," she answered.

"Wait, you mean... there's _more_?"

"Of course!"

* * *

**Author's Note: Ooh, a cliffhanger. Lol, but not really. You can just go to the next chapter... All will be explained.**

**Sorry that this chapter's a little short... but there are two of them.**

**Review please:)**


	15. Isolation, Part 2, The Hidden Village

**Author's Note: Here's the second part of **_**Isolation**_**. Enjoy!**

**This chapter introduces a new pairing! AppaxOC, lol but sadly, there will be no fluff moments between them. (Unless you count their fur?) Lol, bad joke. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: ****I still don't own Avatar.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 15: The Hidden Village (Isolation, Part 2)_

"Wait, so your name _is _Malu, right?" Aang asked her. All of his attention was focused on her for the last few minutes.

"Yes," she answered, still excited.

"How are you still alive?" Toph asked her, genuinely curious.

"Well, those other Malu's weren't me," she answered, wringing her fingers behind her back as she walked.

"Huh!?" Sokka asked, surprised.

"The 'original' Malu, the one who lost parents to the war, was my great-grandmother. She married an airbender refugee from the Southern Air Temple, and they had a daughter who they named Malu, too. And when she grew up, she had my mother, and then my mother named me after my grandmother. The three of them all passed away, and since we all looked identical, everyone thought we were the ghost of my great-grandmother."

"So you've been able to protect your village?" Katara inquired.

"Yes," she confirmed.

"Wait, someone survived the raids on the Southern Air Temple? I lived there!"

"Yes, a little boy named Pasho. He grew up with my great-grandmother, and they married and started the village, a save haven for Air Nomad refugees. The only way to get here, aside from the tunnels, is with a Sky Bison."

Aang was buzzing with excitement and questions. "I was friends with Pasho! And did any bison survive? Is Appa the last of his race? Are—"

"Calm down!" Malu said, laughing. "Of course we have bison left, most airbenders there do. Unfortunately, we only have five."

"How many people are in the village?" Suki asked, tilting her head.

Malu shrugged. "About two dozen. We've done all we can to survive the last hundred years. Nobody has found us yet—you're the first to see a bunch of airbenders in a century."

"How many of them are airbenders? Are there a lot? Can I teach some of them?" Aang continued to babble, asking countless questions that Malu couldn't answer. Toph huffed, annoyed at him.

"Ten of us are airbenders, me included. We're not like the airbenders from back then, if there is a non-bender, we let them stay. We think it is how the Air Nomads were wiped out, there weren't enough people," Malu explained as she led them through various tunnels. She seemed to know the way like the back of her hand.

At last, they were able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. As soon as they saw it, Aang went into a full sprint, getting there in seconds. Appa and Bahamut pushed ahead of them all, Momo screeching at them as if shouting orders. Everyone else ran towards the exit, eager to get out of the creepy tunnels. Aang paused at the end.

"Where is it?" he asked, looking all around. They emerged in a peaceful-looking valley, mountains on all sides protecting it from view. The heavy mist still hung overhead, letting only sunlight stream through. A winding river snaked down the valley, and all around the edges was a thick forest. They were high above it all. Appa, Bahamut, and Momo completed the scene, flying together in circles. Momo looked diminutive next to the two giant creatures, but he didn't seem to care. Their view of the center of the valley was blocked by a large rock.

"Behind the rock, silly," Malu said, giggling. Katara heard Toph mutter something about a "girly-girl." Aang hopped on top of the rock, and then gasp in astonishment. The rest of them looked around it, having similar reactions. Far below them was a tiny village, with less than a dozen small homes. They saw about four large, white blots next to the town, and a smaller one among them. Katara supposed they were the Sky Bison. It seemed to be a peaceful place, nestled in between the mountains and built right around a wide river. "Welcome to Pi-Su," Malu announced, holding her arms out proudly.

"Er... how do we get down?" Sokka asked, looking at the long drop nervously.

"Heh... I didn't think about that," Malu said, shrugging embarrassedly. "We usually use gliders!"

"Woohoo!" Aang yelled, tapping his staff on the ground. The wings snapped open in an instant, and he jumped from the rocky ledge, cheering the whole way down.

Katara folded her arms, watching the young Avatar glide down to the village. "You know, I'm happy for Aang."

"Yeah, he's really happy, isn't he?" Sokka said, standing next to her.

"That hasn't solved our problem," Toph sang, as if trying to point out Malu's stupidity.

"Why don't you call Appa? I'll meet you down there," Malu said, following Aang's example. As the wings on her glider unfolded, Katara was slightly surprised to see light-blue colored wings.

"_Why don't you call Appa_," Toph mimicked. "Man, that girl annoys me."

"APPA!" Ty Lee hollered. The bison flew over to them, letting them get on. Ty Lee hopped to his reins. "Now, what was that Aang said? Yapp, yapp? Yupp, yupp? Yoop, yoop?"

"Yip, yip," Sokka corrected. Immediately, Appa descended down into the valley.

As they entered town, every single villager came out nervously, muttering amongst themselves. They were soon calmed by Malu's arrival. "Everyone, the Avatar has come at last!" she announced excitedly. Everyone soon brightened, running up to greet Aang.

Katara couldn't help but notice that none of them were decorated in an airbender's traditional arrow tattoos. Was it a tradition that was lost over the years? Besides that, everyone looked normal. They all wore clothing somewhat similar to Aang's, except that a few of them had a bow and arrows on their backs. Katara was deeply confused.

The people soon parted, when Malu suggested that they go meet the village Chieftainess. The group walked, the rest of the people watching silently, in awe.

"Malu, is anyone a master here?" Suki asked, as a child sneezed and was thrown back into his mother. Katara laughed. He was apparently one of the ten airbenders.

Malu sighed. "No, not since my mother fell to illness. She was the only one. Our most experienced bender is our Chieftainess, and she has taught me everything she knows."

"Malu... why do they carry weapons? I thought the airbender way was to let all creatures live peacefully, and to never harm anyone?" Aang asked. He sounded worried.

"That was lost over time. I believe they never ate meat back then—we still don't—but sometimes we need to defend this town. Any non-bender has to learn archery, just in case someone discovers us and attacks. It's a necessary precaution, and we only harm creatures that we have to. It is the only way to survive as long as we have," she said sadly. "Wait, Aang... you're a master, right? Can you teach some of us airbending?" she asked excitedly.

"I would, but... I haven't mastered airbending completely yet." Katara gasped. It was pretty surprising.

"Huh?" Sokka asked, scratching his head.

"I'm _very _close, but since the war was coming, the monks kind of rushed my training... and they skipped one of the thirty-six abilities needed to master airbending. I only have thirty-five. They made me a master because I created my own ability, another requirement for mastery," Aang admitted. Malu smiled.

"The Air Scooter?" Katara asked. Aang nodded.

"_I _know the thirty-sixth ability, Aang. I can teach it to you," Malu offered.

"Really?" he asked, immediately brightening.

"Sure, but after we meet the Chieftainess." After crossing a small bridge over the river, they came to a wooden hut fairly larger than the others. The others easily recognized this as the leader's home, since there were three swirls on a tablet in front of her house—the sign of the airbenders. Malu opened the door slowly.

The interior of the hut was surprisingly plain-looking, with a wooden bed and several normal, everyday things. In the center of the one-roomed hut was a black-haired woman, legs crossed and eyes closed in deep meditation. Her long black hair reached the floor, and she wore long robes the same color of the rest of the peoples', her staff laid across her legs. There was a longbow on the wall behind her, a beautiful work of art and a deadly weapon. The Chieftainess opened up one long-lashed eye.

"These are the Avatar and his friends, m'lady," Malu said, bowing respectfully.

"The Avatar? He's here?" Her voice rose in excitement, and she gracefully stood up with a small gust of air and greeted them. "It is an honor. I am Ruo-Feng, the Chieftainess of Pi-Su."

"Pleased to meet you," Aang said. The woman seemed fairly odd, wearing a large shawl that Katara barely noticed by the candlelight, decorated with flying bison. She wore a wooden necklace with the airbender symbol on it. Momo suddenly flew into the room through an open window and perched himself on Aang's shoulder.

"Wait a minute, you're not Momo!" Aang said, looking surprised at the lemur on his shoulder.

"Ringo, get off him!" Ruo-Feng commanded. The lemur complied, flying over to her staff. "Would you all like fruit cakes?" the Chieftainess asked, opening her stone oven in the corner.

Aang drooled. He looked like he was in heaven. "Fruit... cakes..."

Ruo-Feng served some to all of them (luckily, she had made a lot extra). They all took seats on the floor, so it was kind of cramped. Aang and Sokka munched down on the cakes. Aang finished within seconds. "Just like Monk Gyatso's..." he murmured happily. As they ate, they conversed about several things, telling the Chieftainess about who they were, and they gave her information on the outside world.

"Occasionally, we can send someone out to Bai Bai, to get some information regarding the war," Malu explained.

When they were done speaking, Ruo-Feng spoke to them all. "It is so wonderful to see people from all Nations working together, achieving as many goals as you have. I truly believe you can put a stop to this war. Malu, you can really learn something from them."

"It truly is wonderful."

"When this is all over... do you think... you can all come out of hiding?" Aang asked timidly.

"We've always wanted to," Malu said hopefully. "And we probably will. I can't wait for the day; my dearest wish is for my people to be free like they once were."

Toph snorted from the corner.

"We plan to attack the Fire Nation on the day of the Solar Eclipse," Mai said. Katara's eyes widened. She wasn't used to Mai giving out information like that. It's not as if it mattered, but it was still odd.

"That is very wise. The next Solar Eclipse is just days before the arrival of Sozin's Comet," Ruo-Feng said, nodding.

"How do you know about the comet?" Sokka asked.

"All of us do. There used to be a woman who could read the stars and tell the future. She knew the comet would arrive, and the Eclipse before it," said Malu.

"Oh yes, Avatar Aang," Ruo-Feng said. "I have a favor to ask of you, if you don't mind."

* * *

They were safe—for now. It wouldn't be long until they were found. People saw them running here; it was only a matter of time until someone notified the soldiers. Jin was wringing her fingers restlessly as Song continued glancing out the window for the soldiers. Haru was pacing the room nervously, but Shuang was laid back and relaxed.

"I don't know why you guys are worrying, they won't find us."

"Shu, be quiet so I can think of a plan to get us outta here," Haru muttered at him. Shuang shrugged.

"I'm going out," Jin announced, standing up from the hard, wooden chair.

"Why?" Haru asked, slightly surprised.

"I want to see if things have quieted down yet," Jin said. "Don't worry Haru, I'll be careful," she added, once seeing the look in his eyes.

"I'll come with you," Shuang said. Jin looked at him oddly. "We're your protectors, remember?" She nodded, smiling.

* * *

"What is it?" Aang asked.

"It is about the river that runs through our village. The river comes from somewhere beyond the mountains to the north. Possibly, farther up the river, there is a fork that runs in the direction of our village. The Cahdeham Mountains are halting the second flow, creating a natural dam. Over the years, water has built up and the stone is becoming weak. We fear that the extra water could break the dam and destroy Pi-Su," Ruo-Feng explained, as if they were talking about the weather.

"You want us to reinforce it?" asked Aang.

"I'll deal with it," Toph announced, standing up. "I'm bored as hell." Everyone's eyes were on her as she left the hut.

"She is an odd one, isn't she?" Ruo-Feng asked them. "How can she help?"

"She's an earthbender," Katara answered, shrugging.

Outside, Toph walked northward, exiting the village, and ignoring all the stares. She was muttering to herself about the town.

"It's so peaceful here. Bor-_ing_."

The dam was just at the very reaches of her "vision," so she knew where to go. It was all the way at the northern edge of the valley. Instead of walking, she opted to ride her earth wave, and she got there in just a few minutes. The pressure of the water was really starting to take its toll; the wall felt as if it was going to break in just a few moments. Toph hurriedly got to work, beginning to reinforce the natural dam with stone.

_If this doesn't work... it may just end up making the problem even worse, _Toph thought. The bangs of rock against rock could end up damaging the dam even further. She felt the water lashing against the wall, as if determined to break it down. A few more years of water buildup, the dam would eventually become a waterfall. Underground tunnels near the bottom stopped this from happening though, so the water trickled out and into the mountains, going deep underground.

And then she heard a loud _crack_.

* * *

"Where's the next town?" Jet groaned. He was holding onto Azula's uninjured shoulder, guiding her along. She was staring blankly ahead, as usual.

"Not too far," Smellerbee said, glancing at the map she held. Suddenly, Longshot emerged from the trees, pointing down the path ahead of them.

"What is it?" Iroh asked.

"Fire Nation soldiers," Smellerbee answered, rolling up the map and putting it on her belt. Her curved knife immediately appeared in her hand.

"Put that away," Iroh told her. "Let's avoid fighting them. They might notice Azula."

She nodded, putting her knife away. Jet glanced fearfully at Azula, who was dressed in peasant clothes that Jet stole. Nobody would notice her like this, they hoped.

Ten soldiers came down the path from ahead of them, just like Longshot said. Everyone put their heads down, hoping to just pass along harmlessly. Unfortunately, for the first time in hours, Azula seemed aware of her surroundings.

She looked up, seeing the soldiers pass by. It was her last beacon of hope.

Maybe it was the sight of a wounded person, or the empty way in which she walked, or perhaps even the sun shining off her golden eyes as she lifted her head. No matter how it happened, the soldiers noticed her.

"Isn't that...?"

"Wait a minute—"

"Princess Azula!"

Jet's swords were out in an instant.

* * *

"This is my Sky Bison, Yanna," Malu said, petting the white fur. They were just outside the town's southern boundaries, and Malu was showing Aang and Katara her bison. Yanna looked almost identical to Appa, except that she was smaller. Her saddle was more decorated, having red and gold streamers down the sides. The fur on her head had six braids, three on each side of the head, which made Aang immediately think of the hippies.

Appa was right by the four of them, staring at the female bison. Yanna stared back.

"Aw, they're in love!" Katara said, smiling. Malu, Aang, and Katara boarded Yanna, flying off to the cliffs for peace, since the people of Pi-Su were staring at Aang in awe again. It was time for Aang to truly master airbending.

When they were on solid ground again, Malu began the lesson. Katara took a seat near them, eager to see how it would turn out.

"The thirty-sixth ability is... the Vanishing trick," Malu said, smirking. She jumped up in the air, immediately disappearing and reappearing beside Aang with a slight breeze.

"I've wanted to learn that since I saw you doing it before," Aang said, laughing.

"Well, it's a lot harder than it looks. You have to turn every _inch _of your body to complete, pure air," she said. "You have to really be determined to do it. It requires lots of concentration. If you're concentrating hard enough, jump. You should be able to do it."

Aang screwed up his face in concentration. After several seconds, his face began to turn red. He didn't stop there. Eyes closed, he jumped up in the air.

But nothing happened.

He ended up landing on his butt. "What did I do wrong?"

"You want to _be _the air. Once it happens, you should have full control of where you want to go. It's hard to maintain it, but after some practice, you should be able to do it for longer and longer," Malu explained.

Aang tried and tried again, each time coming up with the same results. Aang groaned, rubbing his backside. "Eh heh heh heh," Malu said, putting her hands in front of her. "Maybe we should try it again some other time."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Aang said in response. Katara suddenly stood up, looking alarmed. She turned her head to the north.

"Um... guys!"

* * *

Shuang and Jin were creeping around the alleys, watching the soldiers scuffle around. They were herding most of the people back into their homes.

"What's going on?" Shuang asked Jin in a whisper.

"I don't know." The two edged around the corner, seeing many of the soldiers assembled farther down the street. Jin pulled Shuang back by the shoulder quickly as a soldier passed by. "Be more careful!" she hissed.

"Sorry," he said, blushing at her touch. Jin didn't notice, however. Suddenly, a horn blared. The two winced, petrified in fright. Were they discovered?

"Everyone bow down for the arrival of ME, _General _Piza!" they heard a girl shout. Or was it male? "Admiral Zhang, _why _on earth have you brought me here?"

Jin gasped, but Shuang put his hand over her mouth just in time. Zhang, the man they feared, was back. But why? It _couldn't _be for them. Could it? He even brought a General!

"We have recently been trying to destroy all sorts of rebels. Just minutes ago, we've found one. They have all been causing disorder in this great city," they heard him explain.

"Have you gotten information from this prisoner? Is there any torturing involved?" the androgynous voice asked.

"No, we, uh... haven't had time to question her yet."

"Can I do the honors?" Piza asked, sounding like a child in a candy shop. Zhang snapped his fingers. Jin and Shuang heard some struggling, and then Piza cackled with glee. Slowly and carefully, Jin peeked around the corner. She almost gasped. She even had to restrain herself from running out there that instant. Out of everything, she wasn't expecting this.

It was Song.

"And this one tried to help her," Zhang said gruffly, and the pack of soldiers threw out another figure, who landed on his knees. It was Haru, with his hands bound.

"No!"

"Jin, _shh, _get over here—!"

She immediately turned to him. "We've got to help them! How could they do that? Song has nothing to do with this, she's no rebel—"

"We'll rescue them later, come on!" Shuang hushed her, pulling her by the hand away from the gathering. Jin resisted, pulling against him. Sighing, he let her go. She ran back over to the corner.

"—Now tell me," Piza said, staring Song in the eye, "where is the rebel base?"

"I don't know!" Song shouted, struggling against her bonds. "Please, let me go!"

"Very well," Piza said, standing up straight. "In that case..." _Blue _fire lit up in his palms, and he was holding it in front of him, threatening to burn Song's face. "Are you ready to speak now?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she pleaded. He was about to throw the flames at her, when Haru suddenly stomped a foot on the ground, a pillar of stone rising between Song and Piza and pushing the General away. He snarled.

The soldiers pushed in from all around, attacking Haru from all directions. He jumped up, kicking against the ground. He rose into the air on a stone pillar, Song coming with him. He kicked out his feet at the soldiers, upraising the ground and hitting them all away. Song was on her knees, quivering from behind him.

"Look out!" she yelled. "Behind you!" A jet of red flame shot at them, but Haru raised a slab of stone from the ground—shaking off the soldier hanging on—just in time to block the attack from hitting them. Zhang himself was attacking them, shooting fire that Haru was barely blocking. The other soldiers hurled their spears, but Haru was too busy with Zhang to block them. Song was ducking, twisting, and jumping out of the way, but there was only so much someone could do on a raised stone pillar.

As soon as Haru attacked Piza, Jin and Shuang entered the fray. They attacked the soldiers from behind, gaining a huge advantage from the start. Jin was being fueled by anger, not caring who she injured or how fatal her attacks were. Soldiers lunged at her with spears, and thrust with their swords, but Jin parried most of the blows, dodging those she couldn't. She was fighting better than she ever did, slicing spear shafts clean in half and knocking swords out of enemy hands. They were running from her fury.

Shuang clubbed a soldier on the head, then flipped around and whipped another with water. His element flew in all directions, batting the soldiers away like flies. He was also fueled by anger—though not as much as Jin—but mostly by a need to protect. He was putting much more pressure than normal behind the strikes, but it was working. He was winning.

Unfortunately, more soldiers came from the farthest reaches of the town, and the numbers were growing. They were outnumbered greatly from the start, but now it was even worse. Swords got in between his strikes and spears pierced his skin (and on one occasion he got burned) but he fought on. He was determined to keep as many soldiers away from Jin as possible.

Haru was sweating; it was getting harder and harder to stop Zhang's strikes. The heat from his flames was getting more intense, and his rock shield was wearing out. The stone was cracked in several places. Fortunately, many of the soldiers were gone, their attentions focused elsewhere. Haru was too busy to figure out where. Zhang jumped up, kicking out with his left foot, sending out a wide arc of flame. And before he landed, his right foot also shot out, sending pressurized fire at Haru and Song.

That was it, his shield had enough. The flames licked the sides of it, nearly hitting the two of them. Haru punched in Zhang's direction, sending the slab rocketing toward him. While Zhang was distracted, he pulled his hands up and clapped them together. Waves of rock clashed against the firebender. Haru scored his first hit on him.

The Admiral fell back in pain, but Haru didn't get a chance to celebrate, because Song shouted out in alarm. Piza was there, laughing gleefully. Before he could react, blue flames shot out, but not aimed at them. The pillar was obliterated, and the two fell. Haru was able to pull Song on top of him as he landed, cushioning the ground to soften the fall.

As he grabbed Song, he just realized that his bonds were cut. Song's were too. It seemed as if Song cut them while he was defending them from Zhang. A tiny knife was in her sleeve.

"Aw, protecting the wittle girly?" Piza asked in a mock baby voice. Haru and Song immediately stood up, ready for whatever Piza was going to throw at them. Haru got into an earthbending stance, while Song held up the tiny knife—one that she probably used for cooking—in an awkward manner. Haru doubted she knew how to use it.

Zhang stood up, holding his hip in pain. He tore off his shirt in the fight. Haru was slightly satisfied to see his hip bandaged up—probably from Jin's attack on him ages ago.

"So are you ready to give us information yet?" Piza asked, inspecting his brightly colored nails. Haru braced himself, ready for an attack from both of them. One hand was extended to the left, where Piza was, and the other to the right, where Zhang was. He was prepared to fight to the death to get them out of there. His chances for winning against to firebending masters were slim, even worse considering he wasn't a master yet. Song stood behind him, expecting the worst.

Suddenly, from all around them—building rooftops, dark alleyways—came about fifty people, all dressed in green or brown. They were wielding all kinds of weapons.

"Let the children go!" shouted a voice. A lone man stood down the street, looking the shabbiest of them all. His shaggy grey hair and brown clothing made Piza laugh.

"And who are you to make me?"

The man, quicker than anyone thought, jumped forward. As he landed, a jet of flame shot forward, and Piza, eyes widened, just barely avoided the flame. The other people took this as a signal to attack, and soldiers fought rebels in the streets.

In the confusion, Jin and Shuang were able to run up to them, Jin running up and hugging Song. She kept repeating, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, I'm fine!" Song reassured her. "Now's not the time."

"Okay. Stay by me, Song!" Jin shouted, drawing her bloody katana. The four friends ran towards Zhang, since Piza was locked in battle with the newcomer, blue and red fire shooting in all directions.

"Ah, what a nice reunion," Zhang said calmly. "Now I'll be able to kill you, a feat I somehow never did before."

"In your dreams! We're stronger than before!" Shuang taunted. Zhang scowled.

"You've been evading our clutches all this time, sabotaging my soldiers and getting the townspeople to fight. You have no idea how big of an annoyance you three are," he said.

Jin lowered her weapon slightly. "But we didn't tell anyone to fight."

"No matter. Time for you to die!" He jumped at Jin, flames shooting from his fingertips. She ducked under them—Song copied her movements—and swiped at Zhang with her own weapon. He jumped back from the blow—right into Haru's attack. The boulder collided, causing his hip more pain. Zhang stumbled, but recoiled with a vertical flame arc that Haru barely dodged. Shuang lashed at the firebender with water, successfully hitting him in the arm.

Zhang put his fingers together, creating a full, imaginary circle. He finished the odd hand movement by thrusting both palms out against it, and flames erupted out of it at impossible speeds. Shuang dodged by luck, but Zhang turned and did the same to Jin, who was sneaking up behind him. She pushed Song out of the way of the attack, but the same could not be said for her. It brushed her slightly, singing her plain kimono.

Haru reentered the battle, shooting boulders at the Admiral, followed by a wave of earth. A mixture of water and ice pushed Zhang away from them, sliding across the floor. The voice from before called out to them.

"Run! Now's your chance! Follow me!" the shaggy-haired man said quickly. Jin ran, followed closely by Song and Shuang. Haru stomped his foot, causing Zhang to fall off his feet again. They followed the man, and Jin looked around nervously for Piza, but he was nowhere in sight. The nice firebender—or so they supposed—led them through alleys, turning constantly. He finally stopped at a very inconspicuous hut, and then began climbing. They followed him up on the stone roof—Jin just noticed they were by the city's walls—and the man jumped right over the wall. Her eyes widened, he should have at least broken a leg. He shouted at them to come down. Jin looked over nervously, but then saw several people standing there, ready to catch them. So, holding her breath, Jin jumped. She landed safely in the arms of someone, and so did the other three behind her.

"Who are you?" Jin asked the old man. He shushed her, but ran into the surrounding woods. Jin figured they were on the northern side of town, since she could see the Cahdeham Mountains not far away. Jin and the others followed him, and after several minutes of frantic running, the man stopped.

They came to a clearing, where there was a small encampment. The man turned to them and spoke.

"My name is Jeong Jeong. I am the leader here. We are allowing you to stay—we know what you have done." They nodded in gratitude. Jin thought he must have been a little crazy, but not nearly as crazy as Piza.

* * *

Water rushed down the valley, heading straight for the village. There was way too much, the wooden homes would never withstand it.

"Aang! Get me down there!" Katara cried frantically. They had no time to call the bison over; the water was rushing too fast. Aang opened his glider, and then soared through the air, picking up Katara on the way. Malu followed behind on her own. The people finally noticed, and they could all hear panicked screams and shouts. She could even make out the faint blue of Sokka's clothing... He was walking with Suki.

"Hurry up!"

"I'm trying!"

"Oh, please hurry!"

They weren't close enough yet. The water, however, was faster than ever. Soon, the town would be completely obliterated, crushed by water. She wouldn't make it in time... Only she could stop it, but she was away from the town, watching some airbending lesson... Aang couldn't help either... And the speed they were going at was faster than a rocket...

The water crashed against the hill the town was perched on, and a huge tidal wave immediately formed. They were close enough to hear the screams of fright.

"AANG, COME ON!"

"WE'RE ALMOST THERE!"

They were close enough to see all the townspeople in detail—mothers hugged children closely, tears falling from their eyes, Sokka held Suki close to him, Ruo-Feng watched it coming solemnly... It seemed as if only Aang, Katara, and Malu would be spared.

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion for Katara, as Aang dropped her in the middle of town and he followed. Before she even landed, Katara drew water from the river—huge amounts—holding it in front of the wave and freezing it. Aang helped, doing the exact same thing. The result was a glittering blue half-dome, covering the village like some giant shield. They were not safe yet.

Katara held the ice ready, solidifying it mentally as much as she could. Finally, the water crashed against it. She felt the strain already. She held her palm out, gritting her teeth. They all heard cracks in the ice. Each one felt like a stab to the heart, as if they were slowly going to die, painfully.

The strain soon passed, as the water went the only other way it could—up. It passed over the town, even time froze as the water was directly over them. Now it was like a full dome, blocking all sunlight. One half of the dome was ice, the other, water.

Time continued with another booming crash as the water landed on the other side of the village, continuing its course down the valley. Katara slumped in exhaustion, letting out a breath she didn't know she held. Aang did the same. Now the water was feeding into the same exit the river took.

"Wait a minute—where's Toph?" Aang suddenly said, looking alarmed. The earthbender in question was riding over to them on an earth wave, going up the ice shield like a ramp (possibly not even noticing it). She screamed the whole way, passing over the town in the same direction the water did. A figure suddenly swooped down and caught her—Malu. She made a wise decision—not leaving her glider, since she couldn't help anyway. Malu lowered her to the ground. Toph stopped screaming, but she looked shaky still.

"I—I'm sorry! As I was repairing the wall, it broke! I tried s-stopping the water, but the only thing I could do was cut off the flow from being b-bigger." For the first time in her life, Toph Bei Fong was stuttering.

Positively joyful, Katara rushed up and hugged her. "It's okay Toph, we did it! Pi-Su was saved! Without your help, I would have never done it. This ice wall is going to crack at any moment."

At her words, several people stepped away anxiously. Katara blushed. "Oh, sorry..."

Together, Aang and Katara turned the wall back into water and fed it into the river. Finally, all two dozen people—plus the Avatar's group—cheered for Aang, Toph, and Katara. Each of them flushed, embarrassed. Katara found Zuko's amber eyes, but he looked away, smiling slightly.

"Avatar Aang, thank you for saving us," Ruo-Feng said, rushing up to them and falling into a deep bow. "All of the airbenders would have been wiped out without you."

Aang scratched his head. "Oh, it was nothing."

"Stop being modest!" Sokka yelled, shaking his club threateningly.

"Please, stay in Pi-Su for a while," Ruo-Feng asked them.

"Sorry," Sokka said, stepping up. "We can't."

"We've got stuff to do in Bai Bai," Keioushi said. Nodoka, Zuko, and Mai nodded.

"But I'd love to stay! Lemurs. Are. Amazing!" Ty Lee yelled. She was covered in flying lemurs.

Malu slowly walked up to them, holding her staff behind her back. She spoke to Aang. "Well, good luck then..." she said shyly. Aang smiled, but then called over all of his friends. They huddled up.

"What do you say to her coming with us?" Aang whispered to them.

"Sounds like a good idea. She wants to master airbending _so _badly..." Katara whispered back.

"More room on her bison," Toph pointed out, now calmed down.

"And she can teach Aang that thirty-something move," Sokka said, nodding.

"She also wants to help free her people, remember?" Suki asked. They all nodded.

Aang walked back up to Malu, smiling widely. "We've been thinking, and..."

"We want you to come with us!" Ty Lee shouted happily. Malu immediately brightened.

"What? Really?" she asked, excited. They all nodded to her. She turned to Ruo-Feng, a hopeful look on her face. The Chieftainess smiled.

"You may go. It should be a wonderful experience." The Avatar Gang exchanged a few nervous glances with each other. Malu cheered, jumping up, and up, and up...

"Hey! Where'd she go?" Ty Lee asked, looking around. They all suddenly saw her swoop down on Yanna, her bison, the widest smile on her face.

-----

**Author's Notes: How'd you guys like the two chapters? I couldn't wait for them. I hope you all liked it as much as I enjoyed writing! Next chapter goes back to Azula and Jet, to show how they are doing against all those soldiers now... They'll also finally get to Bai Bai. Lol... this chapter is longest so far, coming at a little over 15 pages. I've done longer on my other story, so don't think this is the only one.**

**OH! Check in my profile for a link to the Season Three Trailer! It's AWESOME!**

**Ah, about Malu... She's one of the four important characters in the Avatar card game (which I have never played). So I don't own her. Period.**

**The four of them are rumored to be in season three, and they're kind of interesting, so I thought... "Why not?"**

**Also, sorry if Malu seems a bit Mary-Sueish, but I can't help that. She's kind of shy (which I haven't really shown yet) and she's an **_**airbender. **_**They're peaceful people, always kinda happy, you know. It'll be kinda hard **_**not **_**to make her a Mary-Sue. There's really nothing wrong with them, though. I don't know what the big deal is... But I'll try to make her not Mary-Sueish.**

**I've got a question for you guys. Remember Song? I'll leave it up to you—do you want her traveling with Haru, Jin, and Shuang? If so, what weapon should she have, if any? Should she stick with aiding them with her herbal healing? She won't really affect the story much. I personally don't care if she comes along with them or not. If you guys like her, then I'll have her end up traveling with them. If not, then it's not a big deal. AND DON'T say "It's your story, it's up to you." Well, it's not. I'm leaving it up to you guys :) If you don't know who she is, she heals Iroh in "The Cave of Two Lovers." Don't suggest a weapon that is out of character for her either. Song's not a bloodthirsty axe-wielder :P... So, no heavy weapons**

**Please review:DD**


	16. The Port City of Bai Bai

**Author's Notes: Well, since only three of you voted for my little question last chapter about Song; it was a very close battle. But Song****will ****be traveling with them. Since I liked both weapon ideas for her, I'm mixing them both up a little bit.**

**Thanks to: Shadowsole, Hold On Tight, ZutaraFan4, showeringtiger7, Duchess192, and Alexandraya. Out of all of you, only ZutaraFan4, Duchess192, and Alexandraya voted. So there's an extra 'thank you' to you three!**

**Here's the next chapter for ZutaraFan4—I'm attempting to stop your brutal death from happening :)**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 16: The Port City of Bai Bai_

"Finally... some room!" Sokka said happily, stretching his legs on the bison.

"Yes... it's really nice," Suki commented. Right now, Aang, Sokka, Suki, Katara, and Toph were riding Appa. Over on Yanna, there was Malu, Mai, Ty Lee, Keioushi, and Nodoka. Zuko rode alone on Bahamut, seated right behind his giant head. They were all flying in unison with each other.

"Yeah, we finally get some alone time away from the Fire Nation." Sokka grinned at Suki. She nestled into his arms, and Sokka kissed her. Toph gagged once she heard it.

"Don't worry Toph, we're not far from Bai Bai," Katara said to her, laughing and avoiding looking at Sokka and Suki.

"Yeah, but I _hate _towns. Something always ends up going wrong."

"Well, maybe we'll be lucky this time," Aang said, joining the conversation. "Besides, all of us can't go anyway. We're too many."

"You got that right," the waterbender said in response, looking at the other bison and dragon. Momo was keeping himself busy by flying in between all of them, occasionally landing on someone. She saw him perch himself on Zuko's head, who swatted him away, irritated. She couldn't help but laugh. He heard her, and then answered with a glare, which made her laugh more.

"What?" he shouted, frowning.

"I don't know. Momo seems to like you!" she shouted back. He shrugged. Katara looked away when she heard a loud "Ow" from Aang. It seemed that Toph punched him in the arm about something. She saw him fumble with his staff, but it slipped out of his grasp. He scrambled for it, but it fell off the bison.

"No!" he yelled. He looked ready to jump, but Katara held him back. "Lemme get it!"

"No, Aang. You won't be able to get back up!"

"Well, if I get the staff I will—"

Suddenly, Katara spotted Momo swooping down after the staff, descending faster than it and catching the antique in its claws. He flew back up effortlessly, and dropped it in Aang's hands. He screeched triumphantly as Aang cheered him on.

"I forgot all about that," Aang said. "In the old days, when an airbender dropped their staff, their lemur pets would always retrieve them. Sometimes people had them only for that reason, but I didn't even think of it when we found Momo."

"Oh, well I didn't know that. It seems as if you're recovering a little bit of airbending culture every day," Katara said, smiling. For the first time, she noticed that Malu didn't have a flying lemur as a pet.

The three flying creatures finally flew through all of the mountains, and Bai Bai was just within view not too far away. They'd be there in a matter of minutes. Yanna flew over next to them—Malu needed to speak with Aang. "Where will we land?" she shouted.

He seemed to think for a moment, but then answered with, "In the forest!"

They landed about a minute later on the edge of the forest, since they had found no clearings. They were also right next to the shoreline. The port city was no longer in view. The never-ending ocean stretched out to the south, right next to them.

Aang quieted everyone down with a bang of his staff on the large rock he was standing on. That got everyone's attention. "Now, who wants to go to the city and find the 'Dragon Deserter'?"

Mai, who was lounging on the bison still, raised her hand. She seemed bored.

"I'll go," Katara volunteered.

"As will I," Nodoka said plainly.

"I want to go, too." Katara stared at him. Why did Zuko want to go?

"Okay, that should be it. Any more and we'll be noticed," Aang said. "Let's go."

"Wait, Aang," Katara said. "I don't think you should go. You're still wanted everywhere by the Fire Nation. Who knows if they control the city or not?"

"They do," Zuko said.

"Oh. Well, there you have it, then," said Katara. He looked slightly downcast. "Look, it's for the best."

"Alright..."

"Come on Aang, BEACH PARTY!" Ty Lee yelled, stripping to her undergarments and running into the water. Sokka and Suki followed, splashing each other in the water. After watching this, Katara sort of regretted volunteering to go. She shook her head. They needed to get a little bit more serious.

"Hey, what's that island way back there?" Suki asked, pausing. She was shielding her eyes from the sunlight to see better. "Wait... that's no island..."

"That's a... giant... Kame!" Aang shouted, immediately brightening.

"What's that?"

"A huge turtle! We used to play on them!" While Aang was focused on the huge creature, Katara, Mai, Nodoka, and Zuko slipped away into the woods.

Minutes after their short journey began, Katara once again regretted her decision. She was stuck with the quietest people in their group. There was Mai and her broody silences, and Nodoka, who said just enough to get the point across. And then there was Zuko, who was never talkative since he joined up with them.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Katara remarked, attempting to make it more interesting. Nobody answered, but Mai looked at her oddly. "Maybe we could all go swimming when we get back."

Again, no answer.

"Ha-ha, Toph thinks something will go wrong once we get to town." Now she tried the Aang approach, acting all good-natured and eventually getting under people's skins.

They kept walking. Now Katara felt as if they were purposefully not talking, as if to play a joke on her. "Why, you..." she said under her breath, starting to get frustrated.

"Talking to yourself?" Mai asked, grinning.

"Persistent, aren't you?" Zuko asked, snickering. Katara raised her eyebrows in surprise. She got Zuko to _laugh_. Nodoka sighed and shook his head, but said nothing.

Minutes later, they came up to the town gates. They stayed a safe distance away once they saw Fire Nation soldiers standing guard. "Uh... you go, Nodoka. They have no idea who you are," Katara suggested.

"And then what?" he asked, looking at her. Katara didn't think about that. What about the rest of them? He emerged from the woods, walking up to the guards. They looked slightly surprised to see him. "Bandits. In the woods," he said, jerking his head in another direction.

"Why don't you deal with it?" one of the guards asked, irritated.

"Dangerous," he replied simply. "There are two of them. I cannot win."

"Fine, fine," the same guard said. "Let's go." And then they rushed off. Nodoka gestured to them to come over, and he walked inside the town. Katara, Zuko, and Mai ran up, passing through the thick grey walls. Once inside, Katara took a look around the town, which was full of grey. There were grey buildings and streets, but the main street seemed to be horribly covered in... blood. There were scorch marks on the street and some of the surrounding buildings, fallen weapons, and soldiers cleaning up all over the place. It seemed that there was a battle in the streets. Nodding to her companions, she put on her plain, brown cloak, covering her noticeable blue clothing.

They walked by the main square of the city, where they saw a large stone monument of an Earth King (possibly from years before) in the center. Katara spotted a message board, where she saw a picture of herself. Curious, she went up to it for a closer look. It was a wanted poster, and there were pictures of her, Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko, who were all reported to "be traveling together." Zuko followed her, and he looked just as surprised to see himself. But at that moment, Katara realized why it was more dangerous for Zuko.

The Zuko in the poster and the Zuko standing next to her were exactly the same. His hair was rugged, long, and definitely not like it used to be on his old posters. That was not good. She saw people staring at them, probably making the same connections. She pushed him away, going down one of the side streets.

"So, where do you think the Dragon Deserter is?" Katara asked them. Mai shrugged.

"Let's look around," she answered.

"Think he might be underground, like the rebels were in Jihen?" she asked, sounding nervous.

"Probably not," Zuko answered, looking around.

"How do you know?"

"I think I know who he is." Katara knew 'he' was the Dragon Deserter, but how did he know?

"Who?" she asked. He just shook his head, walking off. She stomped her foot, slightly angered. "Just tell me who the Dragon Deserter is!" she said, fairly loudly. Several heads turned to look at her. Zuko stopped, and walked back up to her.

"Now you're just being childish," he said in a scolding undertone.

"Well you're being frustrating again!"

"Do you want to get us killed?" Mai asked, as if she didn't really care how things turned out.

"_Shh_, come here!" a man whispered from a shadowy alleyway. Katara tilted her head to look, curious. Nodoka followed, seemingly without a second thought. Mai and Zuko came after him. Shrugging, Katara followed. The man was kind of short, and covered in a dirty brown cloak. He looked extremely rugged and sort of familiar. He was definitely a rebel of some sort.

"Katara? Is that you?" he asked. Once he took of his hood, she realized who he was.

"Chey! It's so good to see you!"

* * *

"Come in the water!" Ty Lee begged him, going as far as to go on her hands and knees.

"But I'm tanning, man!" Keioushi protested. His shirt was off, and Ty Lee couldn't help but notice his tanned muscles. He was thinking the same about her slim, half-naked body.

"But you're already tanned!"

"So?"

"You're no fun," Ty Lee said finally, cart wheeling back to the water.

"Wait a minute, come back here!" he yelled, playfully scooping her up in his arms. She laughed, trying to push him away.

"Do it, Aang!" she yelled suddenly. He nodded, grinning, bending the ocean water to scoop him up and throw him in. He yelled, spitting the water out of his mouth. Ty Lee laughed, and then tackled him.

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time," Malu said, suddenly surfacing.

"Come on in, Toph!" Aang said to her. She was sitting on the beach, sifting her fingers through the sand.

"No thanks. I'm much more comfortable on solid ground."

"Sand isn't _that _solid," Ty Lee pointed out.

"Shut it, circus freak," she retorted. The acrobat giggled.

"Come on, Toph. It's no fun without you," Aang said, smiling.

"Twinkletoes. You know I can't swim."

"I do?"

"Yeah. Remember our _enjoyable_ trip to the Serpent's Pass?" she reminded him.

"Oh yeah. I remember that," Suki said. Toph suddenly blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't bring that part up."

"Wasn't going to," Suki said, laughing. Everyone else looked at them, slightly lost.

"Am I missing something here?" Sokka asked, suddenly coming to shore.

"We're trying to get Toph to come in the water," Malu told him.

"Quiet, air girl."

"Well, we outnumber her..." Sokka counted. "Six to one."

Everyone grinned. "Get her!"

* * *

A spear-wielding soldier was first to attack, lunging at Jet. He sidestepped, hooking the shaft with both of his weapons and pulling, splitting it in half. The soldier threw his useless weapon away, drawing a shortsword. The man sliced at the teen, but Jet easily parried, and with his other weapon, grabbed the man by the ankles and pulled. He fell off his feet. Immediately, Jet moved to the next soldier, crossing his hook swords to block an attack. He kicked out at the swordsman, causing him to bend over, winded. Jet knocked him out with a simple hit to the head with his sword hilt. He ran towards another soldier, who was trying to get to Azula. She was devoid of all energy again, lying uselessly on the ground.

Smellerbee weaved through the two soldiers' strikes, cutting them in various places. They were unable to even hit her as she ducked, dodged, and parried. They were nothing against her. One of their swords nearly hit her arm, but she sidestepped and sliced at his own arm, rendering it useless. She ducked under his next sword swipe, since he switched arms. It was a clumsy move, so Smellerbee punished him by stabbing at his legs. She grinned triumphantly as he fell to the ground, writhing in pain. She nearly forgot about the other man, since she dodged so reflexively. He was probably a new recruit, not getting close to hitting her at all. He surprised her by holding out his palm, flame shooting out of it. Eyes widened, she ducked just in time. Unfortunately, his spear came around and nicked her in the leg. It was a shallow scratch, but she was determined to punish him anyway. She was about to stab at him with her kukri when he fell to the ground, an arrow in his back.

"Thanks, Longshot," she said to the archer in the trees.

Iroh was surrounded by three soldiers at once, but he was doing perfectly fine. At first, they were reluctant to attack him, deciding just to bind him up—thinking he was a frail old man. They were wrong. He dodged all attacks effortlessly, using an unusual amount of agility. At the same time, surprisingly, he was coaching them, instead of attack.

"What was that? That swing was too wide!" he scolded, ducking under a spear thrust. "And watch your stance! Anyone can get through that!"

A soldier yelled in frustration, holding his fist out. A small burst of flame shot out, straight for Iroh. He caught it in his palm. "That was nothing. You need to work on your breathing exercises, and your flames will be stronger and hotter."

"Who are you?" a young recruit asked, stopping his attack. His sword and shield were lowered, and he was staring at the old man oddly.

"You want to know?" Iroh asked, dodging another attack. Pressurized flames shot out of his fingers, throwing the assaulting soldier away. "I am the Dragon of the West!"

"G-General Iroh? I thought you were dead!" the recruit exclaimed, surprised.

"Now who told you that?" he asked, kicking another attacker.

"That's what they're saying back home. Princess Azula captured you, and they say she had you executed!"

"Who are you? You don't seem like the soldier type," Iroh said, punching the last soldier out. The young recruit stared at the ground.

"That's because I'm not," he said, sounding upset at himself.

"Now that's nothing to be ashamed of," Iroh said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Why'd you join the army anyway?"

"My father made me. He said it would shame the family if I didn't..."

"Did you want to join?"

"No..."

"Good. You're not missing anything," Iroh said, suddenly light-hearted. "The soldiers are ruthless. You don't want to be known as being among them."

"Thank you, sir."

"No need to thank me," Iroh said, looking around. None of the soldiers were left standing. "But tell me—what are you going to do now?"

"I-I don't know, sir," he said, after some thought.

"You are welcome to come with us. I am sure they won't mind," the ex-General said, talking about Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot.

"R-Really? Thank you!"

"Yes, at least for a little while. And one more thing—where is the next village? I want some tea!"

* * *

"So, I hear you're looking for the Dragon Deserter?" Chey asked.

"Yes, we are. Do you know him?" Katara asked. And then it hit her. "No way, it can't be. We haven't seen him in forever!"

"Yes. Come on, follow me," Chey said, warily looking behind them as he ushered them on. Chey reminded Katara much of Dizi as they ran through the maze of alleyways. Katara felt very loud with the rest of them, who were all very stealthy. The rebel led them to a dilapidated shack, and he surprised them by jumping on top and hopping off the wall.

_Their hideout is outside the city? _Katara thought, as she jumped down gracefully. The other three did the same behind her. Chey led them into the woods, crouching low so he could avoid being seen. It was still in the middle of the day, so they had to stay hidden as much as they could. Katara thought that this must have been the north side of town, since the woods were right along the mountains.

Minutes later, they emerged in a large encampment. It seemed that Jeong Jeong must have gathered much more followers since they last saw him. She was busy looking at a familiar tent in the distance, secluded from the others. She realized it must have been his. She was lost in her thoughts, so she wasn't prepared for what came next.

"Master Katara!"

"Katara?"

"_You_!" the third voice was laced with so much venom, Katara's heart skipped a beat in fright. She turned to the voices, pulling water from the skin. She was _immediately _surprised to see Haru, of all people. He was the one who spoke second.

"Haru! And—Shuang?" she wasn't expecting to see one of Master Pakku's students, one that she surpassed so easily, just like the others. The third person was a girl she didn't recognize, and Katara wasn't expecting for her venomous gaze to be locked on Zuko. She had brown hair and she wore a plain kimono. She looked fairly poor, but she had an oddly out-of-place katana on her obi. She immediately drew it, running towards Zuko.

"How _dare _you show your face here!" she roared in hatred, swinging her heavy blade at him. He drew his broadswords in a flash, blocking the attack.

"...Jin?" he asked, eyes widened. Katara wondered who she was, but at the same time concerned for her friend. Everyone was watching the battle, and not acting. The girl named Jin immediately swung horizontally at him, but it turned out the move was a fake when she swiped upwards, near his face. He jumped back from the blow.

A small wall of water pushed away the girl, and she fell on her back. Katara had enough. She was aiming to kill.

"Who are you?" Katara demanded. Zuko still had his swords drawn and ready, in case she attacked again. Mai's hand was in her sleeve, and Nodoka had his hand on the spear on his back.

"Leave her alone!" Shuang suddenly yelled. He stepped between Katara and the girl. "She did nothing wrong."

Katara's brow creased in anger. "She attacked him!"

"He helped in the takeover of Ba Sing Se!" Jin unexpectedly yelled, standing up and brushing herself off. Katara sighed, and the water floating in the air returned to her water skin. Jin and Zuko both tensed, Jin ready to attack and Zuko ready to defend.

"He's changed now," Katara said.

"He lied to me!" Jin screamed, tearing. "What if he's lying to you, too?"

Another girl emerged from a tent, looking alarmed. "Junior? Is that you?" If the situation was different, Katara would've laughed.

"My name is not Junior," Zuko said, irritated.

"He's Zuko, of the Fire Nation!" Jin roared.

"What? But I thought—"

"So he lied to you, too?" Jin looked to her for confirmation. She nodded, her eyes fixed in fear on Zuko.

"Listen to me, he's different now!" Katara pleaded. Now, more than ever, she wished her friends were there with her to back her up. "He's been traveling with us for weeks!"

"Katara..." Haru said. "I hoped we would meet again under different conditions," he continued, trying to lighten the mood. Needless to say, it didn't work.

"Please, listen to me!" Katara yelled, when Jin looked skeptical. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. She was sick of it. She was sick of the prejudice and hatred, the fighting and the arguing. She wanted it to stop. She had enough. "He regrets joining up with his sister again. Now he's a fugitive from the Fire Nation, and he's helping the Avatar!"

A man suddenly blew on his horn. Soldiers suddenly stormed the clearing, brandishing weapons. They were surrounded on all sides. Rebels emerged from the tents, among them she spotted Jeong Jeong.

"Is Piza afraid to show his cowardly face?" the Dragon Deserter said, getting into a fighting stance. Katara, Zuko, Mai, and Nodoka copied his movement, while Shuang and Haru did reluctantly. The unknown girl rushed back inside, while Jin looked unsure of what to do.

The soldiers charged. Katara, Haru, Shuang, and Zuko teamed up, using their different bending techniques. A water whip flowed through the air, batting away several soldiers. Shuang's own javelin of ice soared, piercing soldiers in the arms or legs. Haru's boulders pushed away many of them, while Zuko slashed through their ranks with the occasional blast of fire.

Glancing at the forest around her, Katara had an idea. Thousands of leaves were plucked from trees, all flying towards the Fire troops. The leaves, sharp as razors, pierced their armor, and many of the soldiers yelled out in pain. The green swirled all around her, and for a moment, in her brown cloak, she didn't look like any regular waterbender at all. Leaves from all around came at them with terrifying force, decimating many troops. Those that weren't knocked out—Katara hated killing—fled from her unusual bending.

Mai weaved through the trees, flicking knives casually at the soldiers that Katara missed. They were pinned to trees merely by their hair, and occasionally she was able to stab them and pierce their armor. She was an assassin, hiding in the shadows were none could see her, picking them all off without even getting weapons thrown remotely in her direction. Some reinforcements were closing in from behind, but Nodoka took care of those.

"You are a powerful warrior," he said.

She half-smiled. "You're not too bad yourself." After a hailstorm of knives and arrows in a secluded clearing, many of the enemy troops fled in fear.

"I was wrong about you in the beginning," he said plainly, gutting one of the troops. Apparently, he had no qualms about killing.

"How so?" Mai asked, accurately pinning a soldier to a tree by his arms. She wasn't that close to them, but they both spoke as if they were right next to each other. He was surrounded by three soldiers, and he effortlessly hit the soldier in the head with the back of his lance, then spinning around and slashing another with it. The third soldier tried blocking his next attack, but with his strength added to the weight and momentum of the weapon and his repeated strikes, the soldier quickly fell.

"You seemed frail," he answered.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I respect you as a warrior now," he replied, leaping into a tree. When the next soldier came, he jumped down, skewering him on his spear.

More and more soldiers flooded into the numerous clearings, and they were all being gradually surrounded. They were all being backed into each other, and in the enclosed space it was now hard to swing a weapon without hitting a friend.

"What are we going to do?" Katara asked, starting to get panicky.

"Fight through!" Jeong Jeong commanded. Suddenly, from the sky came three great shadows, blocking out the sun. Several heads looked up to see two bison and a huge, black dragon. Appa and Yanna flapped their tails, sending gusts of wind into the soldier's ranks and dispersing them. Bahamut belched flames, and many of the soldiers were devoured by it.

"Everyone get on, quick!" Aang yelled, jumping off of Appa and swinging his staff in all directions. "Master Jeong Jeong, the rebels in Jihen need your help for the upcoming battle!"

"I already know this. Get your friends and _leave_!" he yelled, as flames erupted from his hands.

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about us!"

Katara ran up Appa's tail, falling into the saddle. Sokka was throwing his boomerang from atop the bison, while Toph and Suki looked eager to jump down into action. On Yanna, Ty Lee and Keioushi looked worried, but Malu was shooting small tornados down at the offending troops.

"Come on!" Suki yelled. Haru followed Katara onto Appa, while Jin looked reluctant at first. With a little push from Shuang, she consented to go on Yanna. She clearly did not want to ride with Katara or Zuko. Zuko boarded his dragon alone, while Mai and Nodoka followed Jin and Shuang onto Yanna.

With one last worried look at Jeong Jeong and his rebels, Aang jumped on top of Appa's head. Haru glanced around, suddenly looking fearful. "Wait! We forgot Song!"

The girl from before was outside one of the tents, waving desperately at them for help. Soldiers surrounded her on all sides, threatening to close in. She now had a large pack on her back, and she looked ready for traveling, as if she knew the whole time they were about to leave. Aang nodded, jumping off Appa. He swung his staff several times, as several gusts of raging wind swept the soldiers in his path off their feet. The frightened girl ran over to him, and Aang grabbed her. He stomped his feet, and they rose on a pillar of stone. The three beasts, in a hurry, were beginning to fly away as the rebels and soldiers continued fighting down below. Aang jumped into the air, unfurling his staff and gliding onto the bison's head, Song in his arms.

He looked down at the rebels, and in the center, Jeong Jeong looked oddly calm. He took a deep breath, and a great dome of fire erupted all around them, and a huge jet of flames shot off in the direction of the woods. When the smoke cleared, the firebending master and all of his followers were gone.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Another one of Jeong Jeong's disappearing acts. Even I don't know how he does 'em.**

**Ooh, sorry for that random soldier who was talking to Iroh! I thought him up as I was writing this... and I'm afraid that's another OC that'll stay for a while. I have a confession to make—**_**every **_**single younger character (Katara, Aang, Jet, etc.) will be paired up with someone. Yupp. No secrets there. So, with the permanent arrival of Song, she needed someone. I was just going to keep her alone, but the idea for the Fire Nation soldier recruit just popped up in my head, and I immediately liked his character. He's my favorite of all my OC's now, lol. Ha-ha, he doesn't even have a name yet. I'll take some suggestions if you have any ideas. There's some flowing around in my head, but maybe you guys could come up with something better, I dunno.**

**Yeah. Maybe I just added him because I love lots of characters. You should see my other story... jeebus, there's about fifty people. But I promise you this: there will be no more permanent people to join up with them.**

**All in all, I actually really liked this chapter.**

**Now that that's over with, please review! Only six last chapter. You guys had me spoiled before, lol.**


	17. The Kissing Bandit

**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who submitted a name! (All two of you :P)... Haha, I guess it doesn't matter much anyway. I've decided on one, and it's nice and simple, just like him :) Oh, and the return of another character in this chapter.**

**Oh yeah—another one of the card game characters is in this chapter. After her, there are two more to go. **

**Big thanks to AnimeAngel90, Hold On Tight, Alexandraya, Duchess192, The Zutara Critic, ZutaraFan4, Shadowsole, and HarlequinJade.**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar or the Kissing Bandit.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 17: The Kissing Bandit_

The next day, they were on their way back to Jihen. They were planning their next town to stop in, since it would take a few days to get back. They decided on a different route in order to stay safe. Haru, Shuang, Jin, and Song stayed with them, since they had nowhere to go, even though they were planning on leaving Bai Bai anyway. Jin still stoutly refused to listen to Zuko, and Song tried to avoid looking at him.

"So who's going into town this time?" Aang asked. Katara noticed he had much less energy to him than last time he asked. They were camped in a somewhat barren area—they had no idea how the village survived. It was near the top of a sand-colored cliff, and the Avatar Gang was at the bottom.

"I'll go this time," Toph said, surprisingly. "Maybe you guys keep getting into trouble because _I'm _not there."

"I want to go again," Katara volunteered. "I need to buy supplies for us again." Luckily, since a lot of people supported their efforts, they were loaded. Hakoda, the Earth King, the Jihen rebels, and the airbenders all gave them some money for their journey.

"I would like to go," Haru said.

"Alright, see you later..." Aang mumbled, walking off.

"Hey, Aang..." Katara said, smiling. He turned around hopefully. "Why don't you come with us this time? We can give you a good disguise."

"YES!" he shouted happily, jumping up several feet into the air. When he landed, he rummaged through their supplies, and finally pulled out an old, beige cloak.

"Where'd we get that?" Katara asked, staring at it suspiciously. He paused, and then shrugged. "Toph, you should get some kind of disguise, too."

She waved her off. "Nah, cloaks aren't my thing."

Ty Lee waved to them. "Goodbye! Good luck! Don't get into trouble again!"

Katara halted, remembering something. She turned around, strode over to Suki, and whispered in her ear. "_Don't let Jin and Zuko fight._" The Kyoshi Warrior nodded in understanding.

Aang and Toph earthbended them up the cliff, and Haru watched, fascinated. "Aang found an earthbending teacher?" he asked Katara.

"Yes. He's nearly mastered both earth and water," Katara said proudly.

"He found a waterbending master? Who?" he asked, amazed.

"Well... me," Katara said, shrugging.

"You... mastered waterbending?" She nodded.

"Congratulations," he said, head hung glumly. He became suddenly interested in her feet. "I've barely learned any earthbending since I last saw you..."

She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. I'm sure Toph can teach you."

"Really?" he asked hopefully.

"Really. But... I should warn you. Toph's kinda a tough teacher," she said, smiling.

"I can hear every word you're saying," the twelve year-old girl said. "And I'm not tough."

"Yes you are!" Aang agreed with Katara.

"—I'm more than tough. I'm harsh and 'impossible to defeat'!" she said, grinning. Aang laughed. Haru's eyes widened nervously.

"Don't worry Haru, you know how to earthbend a bit, so Toph won't be as hard on you," Katara said supportively.

"Are you kidding?" Toph yelled as they came to the top of the cliff. "You're not the Avatar, so I don't have to train you if I don't want to."

"_Toph_," Katara said, sounding much like a scolding mother.

"Fine, fine. But it won't be easy!"

"Alright guys, let's get to that town," Aang said, attempting to calm his laughter.

When they entered the village, they were relieved to see that there were no Fire Nation soldiers. The tiny village must have been forgotten in their conquests. The homes were made of the same sand-colored earth from the surrounding area. There were odd trees scattered around the town, looking very dry. Some of them curved around buildings for a very organic look.

It was a village, but it wasn't that small. There was just one main road, and the houses were lined up on the sides. People set up their own shops outside of their homes, and the whole street was crowded with buyers. The town was like a bazaar, where people were constantly buying and trading goods.

An elderly man with a cart full of cabbages (_Huh? He looks familiar_, Katara thought) walked around, looking for a place for his goods. He finally seemed to find a place, and he wheeled them into the space between the houses, and waited. Katara tore her eyes from him to look around for supplies they needed.

Moments later, Katara and the others heard a loud thud and the movement of earth. Katara looked around for the source of the sound, and she saw the cabbage merchant on the ground, devoid of his cabbage cart. The four friends ran over to him. Katara held him up gently, and inspected him for injuries. There were none.

"What happened?" Haru asked.

"Someone stole his cabbages," Aang mused. The man's eyes opened, alarmed.

"My cabba—" he started, but then relaxed. "Oh, it doesn't matter," he said dreamily, holding up a hand to a red lipstick kiss on his cheek.

"What do you mean? Someone stole your cabbages!" Katara yelled, shaking him out of his stupor.

"It's okay... she took them... I can't believe it! I can't wait to tell everyone I got Jojo to steal from me!" he yelled excitedly.

"You're obviously not right in the head... let's get some help," Katara said, helping him up. They led the old man to a guard station at the end of the long road, where a few Earth Kingdom soldiers let them in. "Someone stole this man's cabbages," Katara explained to them.

A few of the soldiers in the back muttered to each other, then got a closer look at the man. "Yes, we can tell," the leader said.

"Need our help to find out who did it?" Toph asked, folding her arms.

"Of course not, we already know," the leader said.

"Then who was it?" Aang asked.

"Jojo the Kissing Bandit..." one of the guards in back said. He seemed to be daydreaming.

"Who is she?" Katara asked.

"A bandit that has been living in these parts. We've been looking for her, but I have to admit she isn't one of our top priorities. She kind of helps sometimes, when the Fire Nation gets a little too close for our liking. She doesn't steal too much, anyway," the leader explained.

"So? She's a thief!" Katara yelled in protest.

"Many men in the Earth Kingdom actually _want _to have things stolen from her," another soldier explained.

"Yeah, since she always kisses her victims," another finished, smiling to himself. "That lucky merchant..."

"Men," Katara muttered. The cabbage merchant was standing completely still, red in the face and staring blankly. "Come on, guys. We're leaving!"

The other three shrugged, and pulling the cabbage merchant along, Katara stormed out of the guard station. She tugged the merchant in front of her and stared him in the face. "Listen, you. We're going to find this 'Kissing Bandit' and turn her in to the guards. You have to tell me what she looks like." The cabbage merchant mumbled something incomprehensible, completely love-struck. "...Nevermind."

Katara, Aang, Toph, and Haru walked along, resuming their supplies shopping. Just minutes after they left the guards, a girl popped out in front of them. "Hello!"

She wore fairly neat and elegant Earth Kingdom robes, and she looked pretty. She had wide, chocolate brown eyes and red lips. Her long brown hair flowed freely down her back.

"Uh... hi," Aang said, scratching his head. The girl, who was taller than Aang, bent down to inspect him more closely. Her eyes suddenly widened when she looked under the hood of his cloak.

"You're the Avatar!" she said excitedly. "You're cute."

"Great, another Ty Lee," Toph mumbled under her breath.

"I've seen you _all _over the wanted posters!" the girl said, winking at him.

"Will you leave?" Toph said. "We've got things to do." The girl stared at her for a second, and then shrugged her off. Toph boiled in anger. "Who the _hell _are you?"

"I'll let you keep your names secret if you let me keep mine," she said smartly. Katara held back the earthbender.

"Toph, _Toph_, we're in the middle of town, don't attack her."

"Let go of me Sugarqueen!"

"Haru, help me!"

"Well," the girl started, turning to walk away. "Looks like I'm not wanted here, so I'll just leave you alone."

"Good! Get out of here!"

Before leaving, the girl swept down and kissed Aang on the cheek. Blood rose into his face, and he turned away, embarrassed. Rocks rose around Toph, and she had what seemed like a permanent grimace on her face. Haru and Katara held back both of her arms to keep her from attacking the girl. When the girl was out of sight, Toph calmed down slightly.

"Aang, Haru, keep looking for supplies, I need to talk to Toph," Katara said, dragging the protesting girl off the main road.

"What's the deal, Sugarqueen?" Toph said angrily, yanking her arm away.

"You like Aang." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Toph's anger suddenly deflated, and she sunk to the ground. "I knew I was right."

"How'd you know?" Toph asked, her head in her hands. She looked absolutely miserable.

"I figured it out when we met Malu," the waterbender said. "I can't sense heart rates, but you're terrible at hiding jealousy."

"Aang would never be interested in a girl like me," she mumbled.

"Don't say that! Aang's a great guy. Tell you what, I'll help you. I can probably get him to like you," Katara said, smirking.

"That's impossible."

"Why?"

"Because he likes you," Toph muttered. The two were silent for a moment.

"That's impossible, he's like a brother to me!" Katara protested. The earthbender shook her head. Deep down, Katara knew she was right... Thinking back on it, she couldn't believe she missed all of the signs.

"He doesn't think the same way. His heart always spikes up every time you touch him."

"Don't worry about it, I can get him to like you. He'll realize that you'd be much better for him," Katara said, smiling. She let out a hand to help up Toph.

"You mean you don't like him back?"

"Of course not. Like I said, he's a brother to me. He's also a bit young... You two would be perfect, you're the same age and everything."

"Thanks, Katara," Toph said, grabbing her hand and pulling herself up. Once she was standing, the earthbender punched her in the arm. Once again, Katara took this as way of thanks.

* * *

"Not _another _firebender," Jet moaned.

"This young man has a good heart. He will help us for a little while," Iroh said, a hand on the soldier's shoulder. "What is your name?"

"Kei, and I'm _not _a firebender," he said to Jet. "So, that's Princess Azula?"

"Yes, she is," Iroh said sadly.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I think it is shock," Iroh said, shrugging. "We are trying to get her on the right side."

"So, _key_, how good of a fighter are you? You've got to be useful to us somehow," Jet said, twirling his hook swords in his hands.

"I-I dunno," Kei said, shrugging. "My father used to teach me, but I'm not that good."

Jet ran at Kei, going at the ex-soldier's ankles. Kei's sword was out quickly, and he parried the blow. Kei owned a brilliant longsword. Its golden hilt was shining in the sun, and the straight, silver blade was excellent. The black and red buckler on his arm was impressive, too.

Kei's strikes were hesitant, and he winced under Jet's speed. Kei's parries were more from reflex, but whenever there was an opening in Jet's attacks he never went for it. Of course, Jet wasn't aiming to kill. His hook swords grasped Kei's own sword, and it was ripped from his hand. When his longsword was on the ground, Jet held his swords up to his neck.

"Better than most soldiers," Jet said, taking his sword away.

"Your father must have been a fine teacher," Iroh commented. "But you are lacking in confidence."

"I didn't see anything wrong. Jet is just better," Smellerbee said, shrugging. Longshot fixed his scrutinizing gaze on her. "Oh, fine. The old man is right."

The sounds of sword against sword seemed to wake up Azula, and she sat up, rubbing her head. Everyone froze, waiting to see what she would do.

"Another traitor," she said simply, staring at Kei. "At last, a soldier is here to dispose of _them_," she stared at Iroh and Jet. "But you joined them." She shook her head. "When my wounds are healed, you will all be dead."

Iroh sighed. "You cannot defeat us. We have gone over this already."

"Oh, well. I will just run away, then. I know when I am defeated."

"Has being injured taught you anything, Azula? You are exactly the same as before. The same arrogant, spoiled, merciless _creature_!" Iroh lost his temper rarely, so his shouting took them all by surprise.

"At least she isn't screaming like before," Jet pointed out.

"I was being childish then. _Dearest_ Uncle was right, I was acting like a spoiled Princess," Azula said, inspecting her dirty, broken nails. "I'll just wait like a good little girl until my wounds are healed. _But _I do not take kindly to being called a creature, Uncle."

"Act like a normal human being and I will not call you a creature," Iroh said simply, calmed down. They almost sounded like a normal girl and her Uncle, and he was scolding her for being bad.

"I need to be cleaned. Peasant, where is the next _river_?" she demanded of Jet, uttering the word with contempt. Iroh stared at her with a pained look in his eyes, Smellerbee looked disbelieving, and Longshot looked same as ever. Kei looked slightly afraid. But Jet looked ready to burst.

"Peasant? You're calling _me _a peasant? You're the dirtiest one here! For the past few days, you've been unable to clean yourself, walk, or eat!" he fumed, holding both of his swords in his hands.

"_Jet_," Iroh warned.

"Ah, yes. Feed me, too. I am hungry," Azula said, smirking. She seemed to be enjoying this. "Would you really let a poor, injured girl starve to death?" she pouted.

"Yes!"

"You there, boy! Get me some food," Azula said to Smellerbee, as if speaking to a dog. The Freedom Fighter glared.

"I'm a _girl_!"

* * *

Katara fingered her money pouch, keeping it safe on her hip. The four friends continued their hunt for supplies, needing only dried meats and some extra sleeping bags. They already had breads, fruits, vegetables, some extra cloaks for excursions like these, a new pot, extra bowls, and teacups.

"Haru, could you look around for some dried meats for me?" Katara asked the earthbender.

"Sure, Katara," he answered, and he was off, lost in the bustling of the people.

"Oh, look at this, Toph. An earthbending scroll. Could be useful for your lessons with Haru, right?" Katara suggested, pointing out a scroll that looked similar to her old waterbending one.

"Can't see, remember?"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"Hey, I found sleeping bags!" Aang yelled, a few stalls away.

Minutes later, each of them had their arms around fat, puffy sleeping bags. Katara thought they looked really embarrassing walking around with them.

"Where'd Haru go?" Aang asked, attempting to look around the fat sleeping bag.

"I guess I'll go find him," Toph sighed, walking away.

"Think he got lost?" Aang asked Katara.

"I don't know. Haru is the type who knows what he's doing, unlike someone else we know," Katara replied, rolling her eyes.

Aang laughed. "Yeah."

"He really wants to help us, I can tell."

"What about Shuang, Jin, and that Song girl?"

"I don't know, but I need to talk to Shuang. I also should ask Zuko about those two girls... I don't really like Jin, but you can't blame her for hating Zuko. He _did _lie to her. She overreacted just a little bit," Katara said, sighing.

"I dunno, I also remember you attacking Zuko, too..."

"That was different!" Katara retorted. Aang laughed again.

"Where are they? They're taking too long, Toph should be able to find him in a second," Aang said, sounding worried.

"You go on ahead, tell everyone else that we're fine. I'll stay here and look for them," Katara said, turning in the direction she last saw Toph go. Aang nodded reluctantly, and left.

Just minutes later, Katara felt a slight weight lifted from her hip. She flipped around, dropping the sleeping bag and drawing water in a second. She saw the same girl from before, the one that flirted with Aang. Feeling stupid, she realized it was Jojo the Kissing Bandit herself.

"Get back here, thief!" Katara yelled, dashing after the girl for her lost money. Her water whip lashed out at the girl, but she sprinted ahead, narrowly avoiding it. Katara growled. Finally, after about a minute of chasing her, Jojo turned around to face her, in a deserted road that Katara never noticed. It was almost as long as the other part, making the village into a lopsided "Y" shape. There were older, worn-down buildings here, and it seemed to make the whole place darker, but that could have been the day getting closer to sunset.

"You must really want this money," the thief said, tossing the money bag up and down. Katara's water whipped at her again, but the girl raised her hand and it was blocked by a slab of earth.

"An earthbender, huh? This should be interesting," Katara said, smirking. She _really _hated this girl. Now it was more like a personal grudge.

"I've never fought a waterbender before!" the girl exclaimed lightly, mere pebbles flying around in her palm.

"Not just _any _waterbender. I'm a master," Katara boasted. She was determined to capture this thief herself, a feat none of the guards or soldiers wanted to do themselves. Jojo scoffed.

"So where'd the Avatar and friends go?"

"You separated us, didn't you?"

"Nah, it wasn't me."

"Why do you like Aang, anyway?"

"He looked kinda cute on the wanted posters," Jojo said with a shrug. "Now, on to the fight." Jojo got into a stance, but the loud sound of some weird creature was heard behind them. "What the—?"

And she was knocked out by a water whip.

Katara turned to face the newcomer, and she was extremely surprised to see the bounty hunter Zuko once hired to hunt for Aang. She rode her giant _Shirsu _creature, wearing a dark smirk on her face. Katara edged away from the creature nervously, knowing full well of its paralysis abilities.

"H-How'd you follow us?" Katara stammered. She vaguely remembered its ability to hunt by scent, but they needed a belonging of its prey.

"My Shirsu never forgets a scent," Jun the Bounty Hunter said, patting its side affectionately. "Cute girl. How's your boyfriend?" Katara growled, attacking the girl with a water whip. The bounty hunter's own whip blocked the blow, and her steed flicked its tongue out at Katara, who jumped back just in time. Momentarily stunned by her luck, she barely dodged another flick of its tongue. Katara tried edging around the monster, trying to seize the chance to run away and get help. The Shirsu was quick, and it almost sprung on her when Katara noticed two motionless lumps behind Jun on the saddle.

"Toph! Haru!" Katara shouted.

"Ah, yes. I got the boy almost as soon as he left you; he was easy. The girl put up a good fight, but I got her in the end," she smirked. That was bad news. If Toph couldn't fight her off, then Katara couldn't, either. She needed to get back to their campsite on the outside of town. The waterbender took off at a sprint, sliding between alleys and getting back to the main road. The startled gasps of the people told her that Jun followed after her. As she ran, Katara wondered vaguely that it must have been Azula that hired this woman.

Even after she passed the town gates, Jun and her Shirsu still followed. Something lucky happened to Katara moments afterward—the Shirsu, being a creature of astounding reflexes and agility, somehow tripped. She looked behind her as the creature fell to the ground, with Toph, Haru, and Jun's bodies thrown off it. Jun and Haru stood, but Toph lay motionless. It seemed that Haru regained use of his limps and earthbended some of the ground to make the Shirsu trip. Haru and Jun got into stances, facing each other.

"Katara, go get help! I'll hold her off!" Haru shouted, raising his arm. A pillar of stone came from under Jun, but she agilely jumped off it. Her Shirsu, looking shaky, stood up, but stayed behind its owner. Katara nodded reluctantly, but ran off to get their friends.

Her whip cracked and flew towards Haru, but he bent back just in time, falling to the ground. Jun was about to attack him again, but he stomped a heel into the ground, causing another pillar to shoot up. She gasped, but jumped off just in time. For minutes, both of them traded blows, blocking and evading constantly. Haru was thrown off his feet by her Shirsu, who regained his senses, and Jun looked ready to whip him again.

A wave of earth suddenly threw her off her feet, and Haru looked to his savior. It was Toph, who also regained use of her limbs. A wall of stone came up in front of her, and it was pushed at incredible speeds towards Jun and her pet. As they dodged, Toph suddenly jumped over it, slamming both hands into the ground. A shockwave threw them all off their feet, but she wasn't finished there. She waved her arm almost lazily, and rock spikes went towards Jun. Her Shirsu blocked the blow, flicking its tongue out at Toph. She had no way of seeing this coming, and she was prodded several times, where she fell limp, once again.

"Oh man, that is really annoying!" Toph huffed. Haru nervously got into a stance again, ready to fight, but behind Jun, he saw two figures flying towards them. It was Aang and Malu, both on gliders. Together, they landed, swinging their staves. Jets of air pushed Jun and her Shirsu away. Deciding she was beaten, Jun jumped up and mounted her Shirsu, and the two of them ran away. Running at abnormal speeds, Aang and Malu chased after them.

Haru ran over to Toph, wondering whether he should run back to camp or help Aang and Malu chase the bounty hunter. As he was going to run back into town, he saw more figures come running up to him in the distance. When they were close enough, he shouted to them, "Why didn't you come on Appa, Yanna, or Bahamut?"

Suki, who was in the lead, reached him and stopped, panting. "They went off to get food."

Everyone was there, ready to fight. Katara trailed slightly behind them, looking ready to faint.

"Okay everyone!" Sokka yelled, quieting them all. "We've got to head into town and surround her. We can't have anyone following us!"

"Don't forget... the Kissing Bandit..." Katara panted, bent over. They all ran back into the village, splitting up.

* * *

Jun ignored the peoples' screams as her Shirsu leapt over buildings. They must've thought her pet was heavy enough to destroy their homes. She snorted; _everyone _knew Shirsu were light-footed. She pulled on the reins when she suddenly felt something heavy and painful hit her in the head. She turned, seeing Sokka's boomerang fly back into his hands. She saw him smirk, but she scowled. Next to him was Suki, holding her katana and wrist shield out.

Jun and her Shirsu turned to go in another direction, but Jin and Shuang were there, the latter dousing her with water, which froze to her reins. She now had no control over her Shirsu. Panicked, the monster reared back, and ran towards the end of town, to the guard station. The two airbenders were there to block that path. The Shirsu turned to the left, where a redhead came at her with a flying leap, socking her in the face. A tiny girl flipped up after her, prodding her in the shoulders before she fell. Her creature leapt over another building, landing in the older part of town. Katara and Zuko were there, both holding their elements ready. Jun narrowed her eyes at Zuko, remembering his scar.

Desperate for escape, her Shirsu turned again, this time almost running over the two earthbenders, who let boulders fly. Jun ducked under both, and her Shirsu leapt over them, going at a full sprint towards the exit, which was visible. Once again, two more people were in front of her—Mai and Nodoka—and Mai hurled two darts at her. Jun, who regained quick use of her arms, whipped them out of the sky. Nodoka ran at her Shirsu's legs with his spear, and he grazed it as her creature shrieked in pain and ran away. It went too fast for Jun, however, and she fell off its back. Song emerged from the buildings, holding a slingshot, of all things, ready. The projectile hit her on the head painfully—admittedly almost as hard as the boomerang—and Jun saw darkness at the edges of her eyes, but she shook her head.

Katara was running towards them, Zuko right behind her, when she saw a wave of earth send Jun flying. Jojo ran out from between the buildings in a fighting stance, wanting to help them. Katara wasn't ready for her to throw a small pouch at her. It hit her right on the head and fell to the ground.

"Hey, what was that for?" Katara yelled to her in anger. "Why are _you _helping us anyway? You're a thief!"

"Hey, I steal from the rich and give to the poor," Jojo said, smirking. Pebbles moved around in her hand, and she threw each at Jun.

"We're not rich!"

"That money pouch was _pretty _heavy," Jojo threw back. Katara huffed, picking up the small pouch.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"I'm outta here," Jun said, standing up. She wiped herself off. "And this is probably not the last you're going to see of me. I _do _know when I'm beaten." Chills went up Katara's spine. Her last comment reminded her horribly of Azula.

"Get outta here before I make you leave," Toph yelled at her, a boulder rising next to her for emphasis. Jun ran off, and the rest of the gang assembled in the old part of town.

"Hey, Jojo. You seem to be a nice person, why don't you stay with us?" Aang asked her. Jojo laughed.

"Nah, I'm too busy to save the world," she replied, waving her hand at him.

"Thank Qi Rang," Toph muttered.

"Well, good-bye then, Jojo," Aang said, bowing.

"Hehe, seeya! Don't forget, I'm unpredictable." And with one last wink to Aang and a smirk, she jumped to the roof of the nearest building with earthbending and she was gone.

* * *

Later in the evening, they were all back at their camp, sitting around a fire. Katara sat there, staring into its depths.

_Now would be better than ever, _she thought to herself. Sighing, she stood up.

"Zuko, can I talk to you?" she asked the firebender. He nodded, and Katara led him away from the campsite. She noticed Sokka eyeing her suspiciously, but she calmed him down by holding her palm out, telling him it was safe.

When they were far enough away, Katara turned to him. "Why do Jin and Song hate you so much?" she asked him. Jin refused to sit anywhere near him while they ate before and Song was suspiciously absent.

"I met Song first," he said, looking up at the night sky. "Back when I was with Uncle, we were traveling as fugitives. Uncle... made tea out of a poisonous plant, and we were lucky enough to find a healer in a nearby village. Song and her mother were kind to us, giving us a warm meal and healing my Uncle. But... I repaid her badly."

"What did you do?" she asked in a scolding tone.

"I stole her ostrich-horse. We needed it for traveling."

"That's terrible."

"And she saw. But I don't get it..."

"What?"

"She didn't do anything to stop us." Katara stared at him.

"She was disappointed in you," she said sadly.

"I know. Everyone always is. Ever since I came, I've brought nothing but trouble here. There is always turmoil between everyone. I'm..." he paused, and swallowed his pride. "...sorry."

She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. They don't realize yet that you're on our side now." They were silent for a few moments.

"And what about Jin?" she asked. She was slightly surprised to see a smirk almost appear on his lips.

"I went on a date with her."

"A _date_? Zuko, on a _date_?"

She jumped back, surprised, but then she started laughing. "You think it's that funny?" he asked, anger rising slightly in his voice.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It's what friends do—we joke around with each other."

"I'm not the 'joking around' type."

"Yeah, well, tell me more about Jin," she said. "I want to hear how much of a romantic you are," she sniggered.

"Hmph. She was a regular customer at our tea shop. One day, she asked me out on a date with her. Uncle replied for me."

"Yes, that sounds like him. Where did you go?" Katara seemed eager to find out.

"Dinner. It was a disaster. She asked us where we lived before Ba Sing Se."

"And what did you say?"

"I said... we were part of a traveling circus..."

Katara burst out laughing at this point. "And then what happened?"

"She told me to... juggle... for her. And I did. And I dropped everything."

"Oh no, you didn't!" she squealed, feeling like her stomach was going to burst. Zuko laughed lightly when he heard her squeal.

"You sound like a hog-monkey," he said light-heartedly, watching her struggle to breathe. "After dinner, she brought me to this fountain." As he spoke, Katara immediately calmed down. "She said it was very nice when all the lanterns were lit. It was called the Firelight Fountain."

"Sounds romantic," Katara breathed.

"But when we got there, all of the lanterns were out. So I told her to close her eyes... and I lit them."

"Wow, you actually risked revealing you're a firebender, for a _date_? It seems like you've really got a heart, Zuko," Katara commented, gently nudging him.

"Hey," he nudged her back. With one final push, Katara stood up, laughing, and running back to camp. He chased after her.

When she got back to camp, still laughing, it took her a second to notice that all eyes were on her, and then on Zuko as he came right behind her. Blushing in embarrassment, they edged slowly back to everyone. "Er... I'm going to bed," Katara said, making her way to her sleeping bag, still blushing profusely.

"Wait, Katara!" Shuang said, rushing up to her.

"Yes?"

"Can you, um... teach me waterbending?" Katara raised her eyebrows.

"Wait, you're not a master?"

"No," he said, looking down.

"Then why aren't you with Master Pakku?"

"I... abandoned them... to help Jin," he admitted.

"Oh, well if you're not sexist like them, then sure," she answered, shrugging. He smiled.

"Thanks, Katara." She nodded, and then went into her sleeping bag.

"Wait, Katara!" Sokka yelled, standing up. "We have no more dried meats!"

"Oh, you mean _these _dried meats?" she teased, holding up a bag of them. He drooled. "Here boy!"

He hungrily grabbed the bag out of her hands.

* * *

"Hey Jun, is it?" she asked.

The bounty hunter turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

She was tending to her Shirsu's wounds, and she did _not_ want to be bothered.

"Mind if I join you?" the girl asked.

"I work alone," she replied.

"Yeah, but I can help you get the Avatar. As you've seen today, it's obvious you can't handle them all alone..."

"Hm. You're right. But why the sudden change of heart? You were fighting _against _me, as I recall."

"Yeah, but I'm unpredictable," she said with a smirk.

"What's your name?"

"Jojo."

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow, this is now my longest chapter, coming at sixteen pages. I think the other one may have more words, since this one is mostly dialogue, though.**

**Oh, about that little scene with Zuko and Katara, sorry if Zuko is a little (okay, a **_**lot**_**) OoC. But I'm working towards it slowly, and surely he's capable of being in a good mood, like he has shown after coming out of his little fever thing. Also, Katara kinda helped getting him into that kind of mood, so...**

**Wow, that idea for Jun and Jojo teaming up was really random, and I wasn't planning on doing it. Jojo was supposed to never appear again O.o. But now, the two of them make me think of Mai and Ty Lee, and I had the sudden urge to make Azula escape from Jet and Iroh and team up with them. But that would interfere with later story plans so I can't, lol.**

**Please review! I enjoyed writing this chapter lots :)**


	18. The Huan Ying

**Author's Notes: I've been waiting to do this chapter for a while. It's fairly important, but it doesn't look like it to you guys. I actually got the idea for this chapter from "The Great Divide" episode, but I made new people and put in my own problem that has to do with this story. Unlike the episode, however, the people in this chapter are much more extreme.**

**Lots of reviews last chapter! Thanks to AnimeAngel90, Shadowsole, heaven-monument, Hold On Tight, Tefnut Talvi, Shinobi Bender, Alexandraya, Nani, Harlequin Jade, PenguinPuu25, GirlCat817, and Vanilla Cream Cake :D Most reviews I've ever gotten for one chapter!**

**Anonymous Review responses:**

**Nani: Lol, once again, I'm taking it slow. Also, I do not own the Kissing Bandit, she is from the Avatar card game, just like Malu. Wait a minute... there's a Kissing Bandit in "Holes"?**

**PenguinPuu25: Wow, for some reason, Microsoft Word doesn't yell at me because of your name, unlike everyone else's. Odd. Anyways, back to your response. I'm thinking about splitting them all up for a little while, so that it is a little less confusing. Well, now that Toph is friends with them and even considered "family," I guess she can call them those names in an affectionate way. Idk, it's Toph's way of doing things.**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 18: The Huan Ying_

Zuko couldn't help but think about the night before. What was it about that Water Tribe girl that got him to laugh, to even have _fun_? She had her own weird way of getting under his skin, he supposed. He shook his head. There were more important things to think about.

He was starting to get a little worried. They flew over several cities that Zuko knew were occupied by the Fire Nation. And who wouldn't spot three large, flying creatures in the air? Rumors were probably spreading below them, and these were what worried the ex-Prince. It was how he tracked the Avatar, and Azula probably did the same. He feared that they were going to run into her sometime soon.

Now, he was thinking about what to do about the minor problem. _How could you hide three giant flying creatures? _He thought. There had to be some way. The colors of the creatures weren't helping, either. And it was not like he could paint them or anything. After several minutes, there was only one thing he could come up with.

They would have to split up.

Maybe two bison flying in completely different directions would throw her off. Maybe, for even further safety, the Avatar could fly on Bahamut. Azula relied on trickery and deceit to win her battles—maybe they had to beat her at her own game.

Once again, Zuko was flying on Bahamut alone. He didn't really mind, he didn't want to be bothered by someone when he was trying to think. He came to like the dragon as more of a friend and less as a pet. He smiled; things were really going right for him. How could he have fought these people in the past? In joining them, he gained two of his first real friends. Of course, he still worried about his Uncle, but the old man was tougher than he looked, and Zuko trusted him. He _couldn't _die. For all he knew, Iroh could be having tea with the prison guards. The thought made him chuckle.

"What's that?" he heard Malu ask. The airbender was hanging dangerously far off her bison, Yanna. Zuko looked to the side, trying to look around Bahamut's horn. His eyes widened in surprise; there was a small war going on down there. It was about fifty people total, trading sword blows and clouds of arrows on both sides.

"Why are those people fighting?" Suki asked, worried.

"We should stop it before there's any bloodshed," Sokka said, staring down below. Appa went into a fierce dive, and Bahamut and Yanna followed right after him. The people stopped fighting when they noticed them, but kept their swords raised. As they neared them, Zuko noticed they were right outside a village wall. Were they attacking each other's villages?

"What's going on here? I am the Avatar!" Aang yelled, holding his staff out. Half of them were in black, looking like vicious people with grotesque masks and deadly weapons. The others dressed in white, some wearing gleaming silver armor and wielding long, straight knight swords. Zuko immediately liked the latter ones better. When Aang proclaimed his title, the people in black shied away—Zuko could have sworn he heard a hiss among them.

"I am sorry, Avatar. Our village is in the middle of a sort of civil war," one of the knights explained. "Please, come rest with us."

"No!" one of the others shouted. "We have to fight these creeps! They've gotta get out of our village!"

The first knight shook his head. "We cannot treat our guests this way. My name is Baithin, and I am a warrior in our village. Please, come with us."

The kids all exchanged confused looks with each other, but nodded.

* * *

"I don't like you," Jet said plainly to her, when Smellerbee, Longshot, Iroh, and Kei were in town getting supplies. Azula and Jet were now alone, in their campsite. Azula was smirking as Jet changed the bandages on her shoulder where Longshot shot her. She had just finished cleaning herself.

"I don't like you either, but I'm not complaining," she said, inspecting her dirty nails. She grimaced at them, disgusted. "I don't understand how peasants could possibly live like this."

"We are tougher and stronger than you. Maybe you should give us more respect," Jet suggested, tightening the bandage, not caring if it caused her pain. She winced.

"Like that'll ever happen, with that kind of attitude," she said smartly. Now Jet was changing her sling with a new piece of white cloth, "accidentally" letting her wrist fall against the hard rock. She scowled at him.

"I hate how you walk around here like you own the place," he muttered to her.

"I hate that you're _alive_," she retorted.

"I hate that you're from the Fire Nation."

"I hate the fact that this war has been going on for so long. The Earth Kingdom should have been defeated years ago."

"I hate how you destroy my people. I hate how I am an orphan. I hate how I've had to live for almost ten years completely _alone_!" Jet yelled in fury. The Princess didn't even blink.

"Lots of children lost their families. Deal with it," she said maliciously.

"Oh, well not you! You have the _perfect _Dad and the _perfect _Mom! I bet they're both as evil as you are, plotting to destroy us once and for all!"

Azula laughed. "You're almost right. My mother is dead. And I'd never call the Fire Lord 'Dad.' He is just my father, related only by blood."

"I don't blame him. Who would want an insane daughter?"

"You will eat those words," Azula said darkly, clutching her fist. "You may think you don't have a family, but you aren't the only one!"

* * *

"If you live in the same village, why do you fight each other?" Malu asked, tilting her head in confusion. "In my village, we had to stick together to survive."

They learned, once they entered the village walls, that there was one large, thick wall that split the small city completely in half. On one side was the 'Light People' as they came to call themselves, and on the other was the 'Dark People.' On the light side, there were beautiful houses in white stone, with a golden fountain in the middle. Everything and everyone were light and kind and welcoming. Their knights were the keepers of order, and they radiated all things good. They had yet to learn what was on the dark side of the village.

All of the Light People and the Avatar and his friends were standing next to the golden fountain, where the Avatar was greeted by all. Afterwards, they asked why the two hate each other so much. Baithin, who seemed to be the leader, answered.

"_They _worship an evil deity, or god, that we all detest. They perform sacrificial rituals for their god, and they like all things dark. Beware of their side—I'd stay away if I were you."

"Maybe their god isn't really evil. Maybe you just think it is," Aang pointed out.

"Did you hear him, Aang? They perform sacrifices. _Sacrifices_!" Sokka yelled, shaking him by the shoulders and repeating the word for emphasis.

"Are you sure? Have you ever even _seen _them do that?" Suki asked, looking skeptical.

"Of course we have!" a villager shouted angrily. "They kill their women and children for their god!"

Zuko remembered hearing about the four elemental gods in the Crystal Village. Maybe they had mistaken it as one of them? "What is the name of this 'evil god?'" he asked them.

"We do not say it here," an old man in the crowd said.

"Why not? Just tell us," Toph said blankly.

"It's an evil name!"

"No way!"

"It scares me just thinking about it!"

"Mommy, what _is _their god's name?"

"Well, do you all worship a god?" Aang asked.

"No. We do not know of any other gods," Baithin replied. Zuko just noticed Katara staring at him, oblivious to the conversations around her. Then Zuko stared back at Baithin. He was a young man, with very light brown hair, reaching his neck in length, and kind green eyes. He looked very noble and proud in his silver armor. Disgusting.

"W-We know the names of some gods," Katara stammered.

"What does _that _have to do with anything?" Sokka sighed, staring at her. She didn't answer, gazing at Baithin longingly.

The knight put a gauntlet-covered hand on her shoulder—causing the girl to blush, but he didn't notice—and smiled. "I'd like to hear about that sometime." Zuko rolled his eyes.

"I'm Sugarquee—I mean, Katara," she said dreamily. Toph snorted. Zuko felt like smacking his forehead. This girl was nuts.

"It is a pleasure, Katara," Baithin said, taking her hand and kneeling. He kissed it, and her whole face was beet red.

"What are you—," Sokka protested, but stopped, when he noticed Zuko said it at exactly the same time. They both stared at each other, with Sokka looking shocked and Zuko feeling annoyed at himself. Why did he do that? He _never _spoke out since his banishment. What was this feeling? Was he feeling _protective _of his new friend?

"Can we get back to the discussion, please?" Aang asked, also looking at Baithin uncomfortably.

"Of course, of course," the knight said, standing up straight. "I am sorry, but I cannot say the name of their deity."

"Why not? We've never even heard of it," Aang said, trying to coax the answer out of him.

"Alright, fine. It's Huan Ying, the Phantom," Baithin muttered, leaning in closely to them. Several gasps ran through the crowd.

"Can't you just find peace with each other?" Aang asked desperately. "We have enough conflict in this world."

"They're obviously not going to. I want to see their side of the city," Mai said.

"Yeah, let's get their side of the story!" Ty Lee suggested cheerily. Most of the crowd assembled in the town square looked frightened.

"C'mon dudes, it can't be that bad," Keioushi said.

"Fine, if you insist on going," Baithin said. "But be warned—they do not like the Avatar. It would be best if you stayed here, where you will be safe."

"But—" Aang protested.

Keioushi cut him off. "Don't worry man, we'll go check and get their side. Then we'll come back and tell you. Who's coming?"

Only Mai and Ty Lee stepped up, Mai looking bored and Ty Lee completely excited. "Alrighty then, I'll come with you," the martial artist said. Jin and Song looked slightly afraid, and Shuang and Haru remained adamant. Katara didn't even move from where Baithin kissed her. Zuko sighed. He was not going, either. He wanted to keep an eye on this Baithin.

The knights led them to the gates which were heavy wooden doors, and opened them. Mai stepped through first, followed closely by Ty Lee and Keioushi. Nodoka came right after them, and Keioushi gave him a questioning look, but the silver-haired warrior just nodded.

* * *

As soon as they got to the other side, a dark figure stepped out from the side, holding a very crude sword. "What are you doing here?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

"We're friends of the Avatar, and we wanna know why you hate those other guys so much," Ty Lee said, shrugging. Mai looked around at all the buildings, all the things she could use for cover. Everything was deathly black, and cast an aura of misery and pain. Everything was cracked and broken, looking very old and very dull. There were horrible looking statues of demons and other creatures. In the middle of the city, where the golden statue was on the other side, was a shrine to an ugly red dragon, with black objects around it. This was her kind of place.

The man in front of them had a grotesque black demon mask. "Our people do not like outsiderss," he hissed.

"Can't you just tell us a story, man?"

"No!"

"Why do both of your people hate each other?" Mai asked, speaking in a very monotone voice. The man seemed to reconsider for a moment, and nodded.

"Come in, then."

He ushered them through, shuffling ahead. Women, mask-less, poked their heads out of dirty windows. They were all extremely ugly in her opinion, and had pale faces as if they had never seen sunlight and grimy black hair.

An awful scent entered her nostrils when they passed the shrine, and she couldn't help but look down at the black objects. Immediately, she wished she didn't. They were burnt bodies, turning slowly to ash. She suddenly had a very bad feeling, and was very relieved when neither Ty Lee nor Keioushi noticed them. The same could not be said for Nodoka, who was behind her. That was, until he grasped her shoulder. She nodded. The touch was oddly comforting.

The man led them inside a house, then turned around and shut them in. Darkness fell upon them, and Mai tensed, feeling around for a knife in her sleeve. Suddenly, a torch lit, and the man put it in a bracket on the wall. Nothing changed in the room—they were all still there.

"Our people once lived in peace, over one hundred years ago," the man started. "Then, the great Huan Ying appeared to us. He was a being of great power, and he threatened to destroy us. We offered him all of our food and gold, some even began already looking at him as a god. Eventually, he let us live. Those that did not worship him were tortured by us on his orders. They eventually became the ones you have met earlier," he hissed.

"But why do you continue fighting?" Mai asked. "The Huan Ying obviously isn't here anymore."

"He is with us at all times!" he said loudly, angrily. "We sometimes see him in spirit form, and he commands us to teach them our ways. They refused, and as is the dirty human way, they eventually turned into fights."

"All humans?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yess," he answered.

"You... don't consider yourself human?" Ty Lee asked, losing her previous excitement and looking slightly scared.

"Of course I do. Humans are dirty creatures and are not worthy to be on the same level as the Huan Ying. He is a superior being." Mai couldn't help but notice that the man looked ashamed with himself. "Shadefang!"

"What?" Ty Lee asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Shadefang, come give our guests some food!" the man ordered, and a girl, looking meek in the surrounding place, placed moldy bread on a rusty bronze plate in front of them, terrified. She then slunk cat-like out of the room. Mai and the others pushed the food away, looking slightly disgusted.

"No thanks," they all muttered.

"Eat. You must be full to make a proper sacrifice," he informed casually. Mai and Nodoka immediately stood up, but before anyone could say anything else, Nodoka stabbed at him with his spear.

* * *

"Aang, what's wrong?" Malu asked him.

"I'm worried about them," he answered, staring at the wall. "Do you think they're alright?"

"Of course. We'd hear fighting if they were in trouble."

"I guess you're right..." he said, not looking very convinced. They were the only two still outside. Jin, Shuang, Haru, and Song wanted to go back to the bison and dragon who were waiting outside. Sokka, Suki, Katara, Zuko, and Toph were nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the southeastern wall, where the Avatar and his friends came in. Aang immediately looked to the source, and saw a giant Shirshu burst through it, holding _two _riders. Jojo the Kissing Bandit hopped off, brushing the dust off her.

"Hello, Aang," she said flirtingly. Malu swung her staff, and a burst of air threw the earthbender off her feet. Aang nodded in thanks, then motioned an attack, stomping his foot on the ground. Layers of rock pushed the Shirshu away, but the bounty hunter on top jumped off, snapping her whip in front of her.

"I still want my money," she informed him. Her whip met his water whip, but his had the power to go through hers. As it hit, she yelled in fury and went on a vicious attack. She tried getting closer and closer to him, and holding her whip in one hand, the other held a sharp knife. She tried stabbing at him, but a well-aimed boulder threw her off balance, and a few manipulated air currents caused her to slam into a building.

Jun's Shirshu ran toward Aang, huffing angrily. He knew of its paralysis abilities, and aimed as many attacks as he could at its mouth. Tendrils of water cut at it, and rock slammed against it, but it kept coming. Its tongue flicked out and caught him in the shoulder, rendering half of his body useless. He stumbled and fell, but with his other hand he made an air barrier to protect him from further harm.

Malu continued her attack on Jojo, circling around her attacks and getting in a burst of air when she could. With her astonishing speed, the earthbender couldn't hit her.

Toph suddenly entered the battle, making a rock shield in front of Aang. "I want a rematch!" she yelled at the monster, clapping her hands together. Rock erupted from the ground and slammed against the Shirshu, and it yelped in pain. Boulders were kicked at it as it ran away, crying.

Jun ran towards her, swinging her whip madly. Katara chose this moment to enter the battle, using water from the golden fountain to rush towards her.

Jojo finally landed a hit on Malu, who went soaring away. Grinning in satisfaction, she ran to help her new partner, but two people stepped in front of her—Sokka and Suki. Jojo winked at Sokka, and waved her arm while he was distracted. Rock and dirt threw him away painfully. Suki glared at her.

"_Nobody _hurts Sokka but _me_!" she yelled, running at the girl with fans extended.

"Psh, what're you gonna do with a couple fans?" Jojo scoffed, punching at the Kyoshi Warrior. Her suprisingly hard fans deflected the attack, and Suki ducked under another strike and swiped at the girl in anger. Jojo jumped back in pain, clutching her hip. "You stupid... idiot!"

Suki smirked, and let the bandit come to her this time. Rock was launched at her, but Suki dodged between them both, and jumped towards the girl. She tried punching her again, but Suki easily got behind her and caught her hand. Jojo tried kicking her, but Suki caught it and tied her foot to her hand, much like she did to Sokka months before. As she was fighting to keep balance, the warrior simply elbowed her and she fell.

"Too easy," Suki said, smirking.

* * *

The four of them ran outside, but staggered once they saw what awaited them. The whole Dark Side of the village was there, holding dangerous-looking weapons.

"Fight through!" Nodoka yelled, eliciting a war cry as he went at them with his spear. Keioushi did the same, hastily putting on the metal knuckles with spikes attached to them. Ty Lee flipped up to the villagers, while Mai stayed behind.

"Why do you run? It is the greatest honor to be a sacrifice to the Huan Ying!"

Nodoka swept his spear left and right, pushing their feet out from under them or just stabbing them as he cut through. Most of the villagers were inexperienced fighters, but he didn't care. If anyone fought him, he fought back to kill.

Keioushi punched through, dealing just as much damage as the silver-haired warrior with his spiked knuckles. He had astounding strength, dispatching his enemies with just one blow each. Roundhouse kicks sent many of them flying, and he had no need to defend. His attacks just kept coming, giving his enemies no chance to retaliate.

Ty Lee, quickly as ever, ducked under enemy attacks, easily putting them to the ground with jabs to their pressure points. She wasn't touched by anybody, and most people were stunned by her skill without a weapon. Luckily, nobody in the whole village was a bender. That would make things much harder. She flipped over many attacks, landing on their heads and punching them senseless. This was easy for her, and she couldn't help but laugh as many of them fell on top of each other.

Mai stood back, quiet as ever, with her throwing knives soaring in every direction. She knocked people away with deadly aim, and also wasn't being touched. Her aim was so great, in fact, that she was able to aim darts or arrows between Ty Lee's flips. She sighed, wanting more of a challenge. The four of them slowly moved up to the wall separating the two peoples, and finally, Nodoka and Keioushi opened the heavy door together. The four of them ran through quickly, slamming the door behind them.

The sight on the other side surprised her. Most of the perfect white buildings were ruined, and a large creature that she recognized as the Shirshu from a few days before was on the ground, knocked out, with Sokka standing over it victorious. It seemed that Jun attacked—and she got a new friend. Jojo was also on the ground not far away from her. Aang was crouched over the bounty hunter.

"Who hired you?" he asked.

"Princess Azula," she responded. "A lot of money, too, by the way. And she said I only got _half_."

"Hm. I thought so," he said. "Why don't you join us, Jun? You'd be a lot better on our side."

"I don't take sides. I'm in it just for the money. But if you could pay greater than that witch..."

"No, we aren't paying you anything. In that case, you aren't welcome here," he declared. She grunted, standing up. Jojo followed, rubbing her wrists.

"That was mean, Aang!" she yelled. Aang stared at her, stone-faced. Mai raised an eyebrow. Since when was the Avatar like that? "Fine, then. We'll leave."

The Shirshu stirred, and as soon as it woke up, the two mounted it. "I'm not usually one to give up," Jun said to them, as her steed ran off. The knights all looked around at their homes, now ruined.

"Sorry about that..." Aang apologized.

"Do not worry yourself," Baithin said.

"Isn't he so _noble_?" Katara whispered to Mai excitedly. The girl shook her head, sighing.

"Oh, when did you get back?" Aang asked, just noticing Mai, Ty Lee, Keioushi, and Nodoka.

"Just now. Those people are crazy! They attacked us, wanting to use us as sacrifices!" Ty Lee yelled, waving her arms.

"Ew," Aang and a few others said.

Keioushi held the tiny girl against him. "Don't worry Ty Lee, I'll protect you from the scary people," he said, smiling at her. She smiled back up at him when he kissed her nose.

"Do you have any ideas, Aang?" Sokka asked him. Usually, this was Katara's line, but she was currently fawning over Baithin.

"These people will not stop fighting any time soon," Zuko said, folding his arms. Aang nodded, and jumped up on top of the wall.

"Everyone!" he called out to both sides. He stared down at the dark side, eyes widening. The people listened, including the wounded. Many of them aimed scornful looks at him. "The only way for your fighting to stop is if you split up! Someone needs to move out of this village!"

Angry protests arose as soon as he said it, both sides shouting.

"We are _not _giving up our village to those scoundrels!"

"The Huan Ying does not desire to be moved!"

"That's preposterous!"

"Not _more _problems," Sokka said, groaning.

"Please, everybody! The problems won't be solved until someone goes to make a new village!" Aang yelled desperately. He jumped down to the light side. "I think you'd be the only ones who would move," he said to Baithin.

"Where would we go?" he asked.

"There are very very very nice fields to the north of here!" Katara pointed out, jumping in front of him. There are woods all around, and if you have any earthbenders you can make new homes quickly! Toph, why don't you help them?"

"No way, Sugarqueen. Calm down."

"Just please leave, so there is less war between you and less death," Aang pleaded. "Your homes are already destroyed."

"I guess he has a point," a villager said, shrugging. Murmurs of agreement rang through the crowd.

"Then it is decided!" Baithin's booming voice quieted them all. "We will be leaving our village!"

"Okay, problem solved. Let's get outta here, I'm hungry," Sokka said.

"Good idea," Malu agreed, rubbing her head. At that moment, Jin, Haru, Shuang, and Song, riding Yanna, came from the sky, with Appa and Bahamut behind them.

"What happened here?" Shuang asked, looking down below.

"Nothin' much, we're leaving," Keioushi said, jumping up on Yanna as she landed.

"Appa!" Aang yelled joyfully, hopping on his friend.

"Do we have to go so soon?" Katara asked, looking to her friends for support.

"Yes," they all said.

"Aw, fine," she muttered, getting up on Appa angrily.

"Goodbye, Lady Katara," Baithin called to her. Katara hung over Appa's saddle as everyone else climbed on.

"Goodbye," she said sadly. He grasped her hand.

"C'mon, let's _go_," Zuko said, impatient. Bahamut launched into the air first, and the other two bison followed right after.

"He's too old for you, Katara," Sokka said, annoyed.

"Not really... about four years?"

"Give it up, Sugarqueen."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hope you guys liked the chapter :D I kind of enjoyed writing it, but I actually kinda needed this chapter.**

**It is harder than I thought to write Suki and Sokka's action scenes... So I kinda skipped Sokka's and Suki's was really short. In this chapter, I also tried putting in a lot of the people I haven't really written about lately.**

**Okay, you impatient readers—I dropped tiny hints of the starts of real Zutara. But he still doesn't know that he likes her deep down.**

**Remember the Huan Ying, it's kind of important. Please review:D**


	19. Azula

**Author's Notes: You all might be curious about the chapter title. Yes, this chapter is solely about Azula and the others. No Aang, no Katara, and no Zuko. Sorry :( This chapter is a bit necessary for my schemes... err... plans. **

**There is a specific reason why I chose only Azula's name as the title, and I'm counting on MadnessinmyMethod to figure it out :D Though, if you can, the rest of you might also be able to—Madness just knows the most information at this point. Think of another episode name... And think of it as a hint to one of the pairings, but I bet that's obvious now anyway.**

**Wow!! As of last chapter, I reached over one hundred reviews! I still love all of 'em, guys—ZutaraFan4, Alexandraya, Hold On Tight, Duchess192, AnimeAngel90, Shadowsole, TYT-G, MadnessinmyMethod, Vanilla Cream Cake, Harlequin Jade, Shinobi Bender, GirlCat817, and PenguinPuu25! **

PenguinPuu25: Hm, I'm not spoiling anything :D But I can spoil this. No, Malu will not be with Aang. I have different plans for her, and I kinda like them. She fits well with that person, surprisingly. And it's not an OC.

**Sorry that this chapter is so late :( I wanted to get it out Wednesday night, but I had very bad writer's block. And then I had family over all weekend and I just got back from a Yankee game.**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar. It sadly will probably never happen in the course of my lifetime :(**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 19: Azula_

She never had to actually walk that much to get somewhere. That was peasant work. She was used to being in ships, riding on animals, drills, and even tanks. _Never _in her life was she forced to walk long distances, and it annoyed her to no end. How could her Uncle, who was raised like royalty, possibly do this? _It was probably his time as a fugitive, _she thought.

Kei, the traitorous soldier, also seemed to be doing fine. But he was probably used to it because of his soldier training. Then again, his life beforehand must have been a factor in it. He obviously wasn't a noble in her nation—she had never heard of his name and he certainly didn't act like one.

And then there was that Jet boy. He was the most peasant-like of peasants she had ever seen. He was dirty, rough, and had a smart mouth, and that caused the two of them to get into heated arguments often. It was times like those that she wished her arms weren't wounded, because she would be able to blast him to death. The cursed wounds still prevented her from bending.

Also, there was that boy that claimed to be a girl. Smellerbee usually tried avoiding the Princess, but every once in a while the two would send penetrating gazes to each other, having staring contests to prove who had the strongest will. So far, they were tied, and neither could get the other to look away until there was a distraction. Also, Azula noted with amusement, the two seemed to notice things the other men didn't. She was surprised by the peasant's perceptiveness.

But if anyone could beat Smellerbee in that category, it had to be Longshot. The silent archer caught every move Azula made, catching her in the act. She nearly stabbed Jet in the back with Smellerbee's knife that she stole the night before, edging close behind him so she could kill without moving her arm. Several other instances like these happened, but Longshot caught her every time. Once she regained use of her bending, she promised herself to kill him first. Unfortunately, she didn't think she scared him much—he was very difficult to read.

So, as you can imagine, Azula's mood hadn't changed one bit.

Every once in a while, if she wasn't feeling especially tired or angry, a tiny ball of blue flame would light up in her palm—harmless, but still something to do. Sometimes she could even see lightning crackling between her fingers. They were weak flickers, but they still gave her a tiny bit of hope. She scoffed. Here she was, relying on hope now.

"Whoa." Everyone halted at this singular sound, coming from Jet's mouth, who was in the lead.

"What?" Azula asked, irritated. They came upon a valley, nestled between two gigantic mountains. They were on elevated ground, so the bottom of the valley was below them. Everything was green. Small forests lined the bottom of the valley, and all kinds of vegetation dotted it, like some giant picture. It was a peaceful place.

"This is truly one of life's greatest pleasures," Iroh said, head bowed.

"What is that bright glow?" Smellerbee asked, squinting towards the center of the valley. Longshot's eyes were like stone, as usual, but he seemed curious. Azula couldn't help but gaze downward, too.

There was indeed a bright green glint, and it was surrounded what seemed like a village. "We won't find anything out if we stay up here," Azula said matter-of-factly, shrugging. She winced at the pain on her shoulder, and instantly regretted the action. She surprised them by walking down there herself, for once taking the lead. Usually when they walked, she grudgingly followed, making snide remarks all the way.

Azula noticed that the ground they were walking on was uneven and oddly loose, as if a large amount of people walked on it before. The land sloped downward at parts almost vertically, so they were all careful in their descent.

Of course, the clumsiest one there happened to be Iroh. The stupid, fat old man (in her opinion) lumbered down the most unstable part of the ground, and he slipped. She cursed his old age and utter stupidity, and she did all she could to jump out of harm's way. Her legs still worked fine, and she was able to leap a fair distance away. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't keep balance, and she kept tumbling down the hill. Her injuries sent jolts up her arms each time she impacted against the ground, causing her to yell out in pain the whole way down. She silenced once she halted, hitting the bottom of the valley, face down.

* * *

Jet and the others, long since regaining their balance, ran down to help the girl, fearing (_fearing_?) she was dead. Luckily they were a little more than halfway down the not-very-deep valley when the small landslide occurred.

Jet reached her first, turning her over. He held her up gently by the shoulders. She opened her eyes slowly, but they widened in alarm once she noticed the peasant so close to her.

"Get away from me!" she screeched. Jet dropped her, partly from alarm, not caring since she was still alive, and relief. _Must've imagined that last one_, he thought quickly.

"Fine, fine. I'm so sorry for being a bit worried on your Uncle's behalf, Princess," he responded sardonically, grinning. Her idle threats and fuming anger no longer bothered him.

* * *

Azula scoffed, standing up with some trouble. She attempted to brush herself off, but she was in too much pain. She could have sworn Smellerbee sniggered at her attempts.

"_Don't _give me nicknames," she snarled.

"What? You don't want to be called by your rightful title?" he asked in mock surprise.

"Not by you," she replied.

"If you keep calling me 'peasant,' then I'll just have to keep calling you Princess," he said coolly.

"Fine, that's the way things should be," she said in her usual tone.

"Your mind is weird," he said. "First you hate me for calling you Princess, but now you don't mind." She was about to open her mouth again, but he interrupted. "Whatever."

"No one usually interrupts me and gets away with it... alive," she said dangerously.

"Ooh, I'm scared now," he said sarcastically. "What can a disabled Princess possibly do to me?"

"I'd keep your mouth shut if you knew what was good for you," she responded, golden eyes glinting.

"Will you two just shut up so we can get going?" Smellerbee asked, a little impatiently. They had been walking along this whole time, but Jet and Azula fell behind a little bit.

"I don't take orders," Azula muttered.

When they reached the village, they were able to see the green crystal in its entirety. Azula absently thought about taking it and keeping it herself because of its beauty, even if she had to murder every innocent villager.

"Hello, travelers!" a jolly woman said, waving to them merrily. Azula almost gagged. "Welcome to our village!"

"Thank you," Iroh said, bowing. Azula rolled her eyes at her Uncle for bowing to mere peasants, but she had to keep reminding herself that he was a traitor. "We are looking for a place to rest."

"Our inn is in the largest building to your right," she responded, smiling widely. "It is not often that we get visitors. The last time we had visitors, it was the Avatar and a few friends!"

The Fire Princess's eyes glinted dangerously for a moment, but she quickly realized there was nothing she could do. She could not escape her captors, as much as she hated to admit it, and they weren't about to come Avatar hunting with her.

"Aang was here? Where did they go? How long ago was it?" Jet asked the woman eagerly.

"It was several weeks ago. He saved our village from Fire Nation soldiers," she replied happily. "Now, would you like to hear a story about the crystal?"

She then went into a long and boring story about some "mysterious" powers that the crystal had, that gave life or something to the surrounding land (of course, Azula was barely listening, choosing instead to inspect her grimy nails). And then the revolting woman told them some garbage about it being a gift from the gods. Azula snorted out loud as she said this, and everyone looked at her.

"_Gods_?" she said disbelievingly. "Don't tell me you _believe _that garbage. Nobody has believed in gods for over a hundred years."

"Azula, watch your manners. These people believe in them, and they seem to rely on Gods very much," Iroh scolded.

"My _manners_?" she said, laughing out loud. "Besides, relying too much on something will lead to your complete destruction."

"And why do you think that?" the old man shot at her.

"Relying on something too much will cause it to collapse, and you will almost always fall with it. The gods are like old, weathered pillars—completely useless and going long without use," she answered, somewhat wisely.

"People need to rely on something to _survive_," Jet said crossly, folding his arms.

"It is a nice feeling to have something to rely on, and an even better feeling to know that someone is relying on you. That is something you will never know, and your sorry excuse for a life will be completely horrible without it!" Smellerbee yelled, seeming to release pent-up emotions.

"You are weak if you need to rely on something," Azula shot back.

"Nobody is strong enough to rely on nothing but themselves," Kei said. "And you'd be stupid to think that."

"Then I will be the first. Anyone who can't is extremely weak, in my opinion," Azula said, wishing she could just put her hands on her hips.

"Life is not about being strong or weak," Longshot said simply. The poor woman looked totally confused and a little shocked at all of this.

"You're right," Azula said. "It is about honor and power."

"And you have neither," Iroh said. Everyone was silent, but even Iroh considered it to be a low-blow.

* * *

Later, they finally went to the inn. Nighttime descended quickly, but Azula felt a little nice to be in a real bed again, no matter how lumpy and uncomfortable it was. She kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She blamed the damned mattress, but it was really mostly about her inability to do anything at the current moment. She was under a lot of stress, and she knew it, but eventually, she knew, it would all be resolved in the end.

Under no circumstances would they let her have her own room, but everyone was too afraid to be alone with her while they slept. So, they settled with all of them sleeping in one room. This infuriated Azula. Ever since being 'captured' by them, she never got any privacy.

Hours later, she was finally able to sleep. However, it was not a peaceful escape for her.

* * *

_She was a child again. She was crouched down, cowering because of the two gigantic creatures in front of her. Nobody else was in the throne room with her, not even the Fire Lord on his golden throne. The normal flames around it were not there at all, but instead they surrounded the whole room, blocking off her escape._

_Two long, serpentine dragons were fighting, destroying the very foundations of the throne room. They were the source of the flames. The blue one was fighting viciously, ripping at the red one's scaly side. The red one was closer to Azula, and it felt like it was defending her. The blue one tried snapping at her several times, only to be rammed away by the red one._

"_Stop!" she cried. The bad dragon spouted blue flames at her, but red flames from the good dragon clashed with it._

"_Princess, take your rightful place on the throne. Seize your country, demonstrate your power!" the blue dragon roared. Azula was frightened. It sounded exactly like her father._

"_No, Azula! Run away!" the red dragon shouted. It was panicked, but the voice sounded very familiar._

"_I can't!" she screamed, hot tears streaming down her face._

"_She doesn't want to," the blue dragon said venomously. "She will sit on the throne."_

"_No, _no_! I want to leave! Make it stop!"_

"_All you can do is help me fight," the red dragon said. "We must work together!"_

"_I can't fight!" she yelled, pounding on the ground._

"_You have to!"_

"_No! NO!" _

"_You are the rightful heir. Take it, like a good Princess should..." The blue dragon snaked towards her like a bullet, opening its great maw, ready to swallow her whole..._

"_Azula!" the red dragon yelled. She did the first thing she could think of. A great, fiery inferno erupted from her palm, and all she could see was red._

* * *

She woke with a start, sitting up quickly with eyes open wide. She was sweating, and her throat hurt for some reason. It was still the middle of the night. Something was odd... like the warmth in her hand.

"What are you doing?" she snapped at Jet, who was holding her hand.

"You were screaming about something, so I tried to calm you down," he answered. "Nightmares?"

"None of your business." She briskly pulled her hand away from his, laying back down because her shoulder hurt. "You are not something I favor waking up to."

"Well I'm sorry," he said mockingly. "I'll try not to be concerned ever again."

"Concerned?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. That was not something she was used to. People rarely showed concern for her. And that was twice today. Last time someone was concerned for her, her mother was still around. Her mother _did _care; Azula just continually pushed it away.

"Well, actually, your screaming was keeping me from sleeping. So I'm going back to bed now, I guess. Night," he said, leaving her side.

"Hmph." As she rolled over, trying to get back to sleep, she realized who the voice of the red dragon was.

It was Jet.

* * *

Things did not get better in the morning. She was last to wash up, a habit they decided to keep, since it not only infuriated her, but they were still able to grind her under their boots. Really, her Uncle was acting childish. She was a Princess, so why were they doing this to her? They were supposed to treat her with the utmost respect. She had to keep repeating it to herself over the weeks to keep from going mad.

So, she was the last to walk outside. The same woman from the day before was there, but there was also a large platoon of Earth Kingdom soldiers. One of them, their leader, was speaking with her, while the rest were staring hungrily at the crystal. Azula walked over to hear their conversation. Jet, Iroh, Smellerbee, and Longshot were doing the same. She idly wondered where Kei was.

"This is such a pleasant surprise!" the woman was saying. "More guests!"

"Yes, but we're staying," the man said gruffly. "This village is in Earth Kingdom lands, and it needs protectin'. The Fire Nation might be back. Until then... we're in control." Azula raised her eyebrow when she saw the smirk on his face. It was a smirk she was very familiar with, and one she hated.

"Oh, um, yes, sir!" the greeter said, nodding. "I'll lead you to our inn."

"We don't want inns," he said, smirking wider. "They're dirty. We want to live in everyone's homes. We expect to be served whenever we want, and everyone will be listening to us, or you'll pay the price."

"They're just bullies," Jet said under his breath as the soldiers went to find a house to live in. "I say we get rid of them. This village is peaceful without soldiers."

"I have to say that they're right. The Fire Nation is back," Iroh mused. The Princess rolled her eyes.

"What are we gonna do, Jet?" Smellerbee asked.

"We're fighting," he answered.

"What?" Kei asked, suddenly coming from inside the inn. "You can't be serious. We can't beat all of them!"

"What? You don't want to fight and stand up for what is right? You don't want to get rid of the bad guys?" Jet said, rounding on him.

"Well, yes, but—"

"Come on, they're Earth Kingdom. Aren't you used to fighting those kinds of soldiers?" the Freedom Fighter said.

Azula laughed sadistically. "I'm in."

"Don't be stupid, Azula. Get back inside," Iroh scolded.

"Psh, whatever," she said, walking off casually after the soldiers. Jet shrugged, and followed after her, followed by his two friends. Kei glanced at Iroh, and the two of them went after everyone else.

Two soldiers pounded on someone's door, and when there was no answer, they pushed it down. Inside was a cowering family, who handed the two of them some bread. The soldiers threw it on the ground, threatening them for better food and a place to sleep.

"We don't have much money..." an older man said, begging to them. The soldier silenced him with his sword.

Jet ran at one of the soldiers, pushing him from behind. Both he and his partner rounded on him, enraged. "What are you doing, boy?"

"Get out of this village," Jet snarled. "It doesn't need dirt like you looking after it." He drew his hook swords.

"You want a fight?" the other soldier asked, drawing his own weapon. Azula suddenly came up from behind him, jumping up in the air and kicking out an arc of blue flame. The two soldiers fell over, and Azula smirked triumphantly, brushing loose hair out of her eyes.

"For once, we have a common interest," she said.

"Don't forget that we're looking for the Avatar," he said, smirking back at her. By this time, the rest of the soldiers came, surrounding the two of them. Smellerbee cut a swath through them, creating a gap that Iroh and the others came through. Kei drew his longsword, slashing reluctantly at his own people. The other soldiers all focused their attacks on him, the traitor "in their midst."

Longshot covered him from the jagged rocks keeping the crystal in place, and several soldiers fell down in seconds. Iroh threw soldiers over him, sending kicks and punches everywhere, followed by blasts of flame. Many gathered around him, since he was another traitor and firebender. Smellerbee was at his side, ducking under blows and slicing at attackers. Many feared her.

Jet was surrounded by four soldiers. One swipe took down one of them, and another with his other sword brought down another. One heavyset man brought down his giant hammer, swinging it towards Jet's head. Azula ignored the pain in her arms, ripping off her sling and pushing soldiers aside with blasts of flame to get to him. He was a sort of ally in this situation, and they couldn't afford to lose him since they were so outnumbered anyway. _That is all the reason I need_, she thought. She thrust out her finger at the heavy man, ready to smite him with lightning. She was absolutely shocked when nothing came out of her fingertips. She tried shaking her hand, begging it to work. She didn't even realize that Jet dodged the attack just in time. Only one thing mattered.

She couldn't bend lightning anymore.

She was panicking, and now that she no longer had an adrenaline rush, the pain in her arms intensified. Black dotted the edges of her eyes, and she felt overwhelmingly dizzy. She felt unbalanced. She fell to the ground; the blackness obscuring her vision felt almost welcoming.

* * *

**Author's Note: Decided to leave it at a bit of a cliffhanger. Again, sorry for the wait, but now that I overcame the writer's block I've been itching to get this one out. Next chapter will be out much quicker, to apologize for the wait. Maybe even tomorrow...**

**Urgh. The greeter annoys me. Don't ask me why I write characters that I don't even like. She reminds me strongly of Joo Dee. Maybe she'll become one of those freaky Joo Dees one day.**

**Please review:)**


	20. Parting Ways

**Author's Notes: Sorry about the lack of Zutara, everybody. Another big step for them in this chapter, though. Be warned: There will be a LOT of action in the upcoming chapters. The battle of Ba Sing Se will be almost right after the battle of Omashu. It'll be intense :D**

**I thought about making this and the battle of Omashu one big chapter, but that would be just a bit much. Things are much simpler like this.**

**Wow, a lot of reviews from just a day—thanks to: Hold On Tight, GirlCat817, Alexandraya, Shinobi Bender, Shadowsole, StarswiththeMoonlight, A Fan of So Many Things, and ZutaraFan4.**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 20: Parting Ways_

The great wooden city of Jihen was just at the edge of the horizon. It had been a longer trip than they originally planned, but Zuko was excited and just a little nervous to see his mother again, knowing now that she was there and perfectly alive. Once again, he wondered what happened the night she disappeared. Did his father banish her, too? Did Azula know anything about it? So many questions with so little answers. But for now, only one thing mattered. Lady Ursa was alive, and she supported his decision to go against his own father.

Zuko and Bahamut were the first to land a little ways outside of the city, followed by Appa and then Yanna.

"We'll have to be careful going into the city," Katara said, sliding off Appa's tail. "We should go in groups."

"I agree," Suki said. "Should we meet at Dizi's house again?"

"Do we all _have _to go?" Toph complained. "I'll start teaching hairy some earthbending."

"It's Haru!" the earthbender corrected angrily.

"Whatever!"

"What if that Dizi guy isn't home? We need an earthbender to get to the Underground," Sokka said, flipping his boomerang in his hands.

"You have Twinkletoes, dumbass."

"Oh, right."

* * *

Zuko ended up going with Katara and Aang. They all tried to look as casual as possible, since there was still a large chance that there were Fire Nation spies in the rebel city. They went through the scattered houses and winding alleyways to get to the earthbender's hut. Zuko's hair was just long enough now to cover most of his scar, and Aang and Katara wore plain cloaks.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked. Zuko ignored her, thinking she was talking to the Avatar. She squeezed his hand.

"What?"

"I asked you what was wrong," she said, looking a little concerned.

"My mother," he responded.

"You're nervous? Why? You were fine before."

"That was because I was still surprised." The waterbender nodded, deciding not to breach the subject. She wanted to offer some words of comfort, but she didn't think Zuko would respond to them the same way Aang normally would. After several minutes of walking, they came to the tiny old hut at the edge of town. They knocked on his door, and when there was no answer, they walked in. Nobody was there, so they decided to wait for the rest of the group to come in.

When they all filed in after several minutes (minus Toph and Haru) Aang stood in the center of the hut. They were all squeezed in and it was very uncomfortable, but the dust shot up into the air in a circle around them again, and the stone lowered into the ground. As they descended, everybody was silent for about a minute, until the cavern opened up to them, and they gasped just like before, except that this time was different.

* * *

"Now it's just me and you, hairy."

"My name's Haru," he responded not-so calmly.

"Whatever. Show me what you know," Toph said, going on the attack. Slabs of stone came out of the ground, rocketing towards the long-haired earthbender. He barely pulled up a thick earth wall just in time to stop the attack. The wall crumbled, but he sent the pieces (including the ones from Toph's attack) right back at her. He struggled slightly to contain them, and keep it all in his control. She clapped her hands, and dirt and rock shot from the ground and clashed with Haru's attack on both sides. They both stopped attacking for a moment, Haru panting slightly. Toph held her hands out, struggling as if holding lots of weight. She wiggled her fingers, causing the rocks and rubble to fall apart millions of times, becoming a mixture of sand and dirt. She spun it above her as if it was water, and sent it flying towards Haru. He flicked his wrist, and another wall of stone shot up and deflected the attack, but she brought the sand around and it hit him full force. She felt him being thrown to the ground, but with a single stomp of her foot he was up again, trying to establish some control over the raging sand all around him.

He gave up with that task, holding his arm in front of his eyes and stomping a foot. Jagged stone shot out of the ground and caused Toph to dodge, and the sand went with her.

"You're better than I thought you would be. If you're good enough for a compliment, then you got my attention. I guess I'll keep teaching you," she said, shrugging. "But it won't be easy."

"I didn't think it would be," he said, panting. "Can we stop—?"

"NO!" she yelled, causing the ground to shake. "If you want to survive this war, then you've gotta get better. And you won't be able to do that without ME, because I WON'T be watching your back." She jabbed her finger at him several times, causing some "accidental" bending to cause marks in the ground.

"Of course. I am sorry," he said, bowing.

"Good, you better be. You need to work on your strength, first. You did some things right, I guess, but you go more to defense. An earthbender takes attacks, but responds back with even stronger ones," she explained.

"I think I might need to work on having full control over my attacks..." he suggested weakly.

"Nope. Earthbenders have a minimal amount of control. Earth can't be controlled like that; it is more dangerous when it is unstable. _Firebending _is more about precision, and I don't think you're a firebender." Haru nodded eagerly. "And we _don't _give up until we die, got it?"

"Understood," he said.

"I guess we'll start off with the earth wave..."

* * *

The Underground caverns were filled completely with soldiers, some wearing Earth Kingdom uniforms or dirty brown cloaks. The hundreds of soldiers were perfectly lined up, with Master Qi Yi in front of them, giving commands. The rebel leader turned around when most of the soldiers' eyes were on them.

"Avatar! I am glad to see that you returned safely," he greeted.

"Thank you," Aang said, bowing. "We have succeeded in finding Jeong Jeong, and he should be here in a couple of—" He trailed off when he noticed the firebending fugitive himself leaning against the cavern wall to the side. Now that he saw him, Zuko noticed some of his followers in the soldiers' ranks. Chey and Dizi were talking animatedly to each other. Three of Qi Yi's other Generals were also around, but Ursa was nowhere in sight.

Qi Yi laughed. "Yes, our friend here has many odd ways of traveling, and he beat you here by a day."

"Where is General Ursa?" Zuko asked him. The leader turned to him with a raised eyebrow, but answered.

"She is away on a mission to gather information. She should be back soon." A messenger ran up to Qi Yi at that moment from one of the tunnels.

"The Lady Ursa has just arrived back in Jihen, sir," he said.

"Thank you. You are dismissed," Qi Yi said, saluting him. The messenger gave him a similar salute and ran off. Moments later, Ursa herself came from the same tunnel. "Lady Ursa!"

"I have some grave news," she said, looking worried. Her eyes soon brightened once she scanned the cavern, noticing that the Avatar returned, along with her son, Zuko.

"That can wait until later," Qi Yi said, once he noticed Ursa happy over seeing her son again. "I will wait in my chambers when you are ready." When he walked off, Ursa went to hug Zuko.

"I am glad you are safe, my son," she said to him. Once they separated, she stepped back to look at them all. "I see you have gained some more friends since your last visit."

"Oh, uh... Don't worry about us," Katara said nervously. "We'll just go off..."

"No, it's fine," Zuko interjected. "I am glad you're safe, too. But if the news is that bad..."

"Mm. You're right. Come, you should all hear this," she said, leading them off in the direction Qi Yi went. Minutes later, they were all in the Council chamber, with the rebel leader and all of his Generals, including Jeong Jeong.

"One of my scouts has found a Fire Nation encampment to the south of here," Ursa started, getting right to business. "We think they know that the rebellion is near, and they might try to stop us."

"That may complicate things," Qi Yi mused, rubbing his small beard. "We must get rid of them as soon as possible."

"That is not all," Ursa spoke again. "The Fire Navy is launching an attack on General Fong's military base in the western Earth Kingdom in a few days. They are sorely outnumbered, and if they fall, the Fire Nation will continue moving across that land."

"Excuse me," Aang said, getting their attention. "I'm sure we can get rid of the encampment _and _defend the military base, if you can't spare the soldiers."

"Aang, we can't," Katara said. "You have to be at Omashu when we attack."

"We have to split up," Zuko said quietly, from the seat next to his mother. He easily gained everyone's attention. "Dealing with the encampment will be easy for just a few of us, if we are careful enough."

"You've got a point," Suki agreed. "Some of us can go to that military base, too, while Aang and most of the soldiers can go to Omashu."

"You will also need soldiers for the defense of General Fong's base," the Water Tribe General said.

"You can't be serious!" the old Earth Kingdom General protested, his fat white mustache bouncing. "A group of children cannot take down a military encampment without the aid of professional soldiers!"

"We can," Zuko spoke up. "I can do it alone, if I must."

"No, I'm going too," Katara said, determined.

"I guess I'll go to General Crazy's base," Sokka sighed.

* * *

"Hey, Toph?" Sokka asked the earthbender, once they were back on the outside of town. They were getting their supplies back on the three beasts, getting ready to leave. The soldiers were filing out of the town, using a secret tunnel the earthbenders made leading straight out of the city's walls. They were already beginning their march to Omashu, and some were going to General Fong's base.

"What, Snoozles?"

"I was wondering..." he said nervously, digging his foot into the ground. "What the Earth Kingdom marriage traditions were?"

The earthbender burst out laughing. "What? You want to get _married_?"

"No!" Sokka yelled. "I was just... wondering!"

"I can tell you're lying," she sang. "Why are you asking me, anyway?"

"Because you're from the Earth Kingdom. You should know!"

"Why should I tell _you_? I'm not the only one in this group from the Earth Kingdom, y'know."

"Yeah but I barely know the rest of them!"

"Ask Suki," she said plainly.

"No!"

"Haru?"

"Guys don't talk about that kind of stuff with each other."

"Then go ask Jin or something," she muttered, using rock to put things on Appa for their journey.

"Fine!"

* * *

It was actually convenient that they were splitting into three different groups, since they had three beasts to go on. Jin was going with Sokka's group, along with Suki, Mai, and Nodoka. She had no problems with any of them, but she supposed she'd feel a little lonely without her three friends. They were going to go to General Fong's military base on Appa.

Sokka was walking up to her now, looking quite nervous. She thought it might be about their mission, since he rarely talked to her about anything else. He did flirt with her once, though.

"Hey, uh, Jin?" he asked, wringing his fingers behind his back. She tilted her head.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me about Earth Kingdom proposals..." he said, wincing. She clapped her hands together happily.

"You want to ask Suki!" she said, delighted. She bent to look him straight in the eye, since he was staring at the ground, embarrassed. He mumbled something in reply. "Oh, that's great! I'll help you with whatever you need!"

"Quiet down. Suki can't know yet," he whispered, looking around nervously.

"Alright, alright. Well, people don't usually get married until they're fifteen or sixteen in the Earth Kingdom. The marriages aren't arranged, like they are in the Water Tribes. Shuang told me," she added, noticing his odd look. "We marry for love here. The man usually gives her a ring, asking her to be his wife. If she says yes, then, well, there you go!" she said, smiling widely. "Oh, and it's got to be somewhere romantic," she added.

"Where am I supposed to get a ring?" he groaned. Jin thought he looked terrified and even more nervous.

"Come on, we'll talk more somewhere else," she said joyfully.

* * *

Katara was to be going with Zuko, Ty Lee, Keioushi, and Song on Bahamut, to the Fire Nation encampment. They were packing some food on the dragon, trying to think of a place to put it all without it falling off. Luckily, Song was able to construct a makeshift saddle out of durable cloth and straps that the rebels had. It was big enough for three people to fit halfway down the dragon's long body, held together by very strong spiderbee fibers. Song said the fibers were also useful for knitting together wounds.

Katara asked the girl why she carried the cylindrical pack on her back all the time, but Song just answered with, "Some things that might be useful for our journey are in here." All of the time, the herbalist made herself constantly busy in their group, trying desperately to make herself useful. Katara couldn't help but wonder what was in the bag.

It was finally time to go. Everyone was ready to leave on their respective missions, but Katara wanted to say one last thing to them all.

"Everyone," she said loudly, gaining their attention. "I know it's been a hard journey for us all, and I thought that living and working together will stop all of the fighting within our group that has been going on. Maybe if we split up for a little while things will get better. But if you want to leave somewhere down the line, then go, and nobody will think worse of you." Everybody was silent. "This is it. There is no turning back now. Things will be harder from here on in, and if anybody," –her voice strained here—"anybody, d-dies somewhere along the line, then you will be respected as a hero for ages to come. I will make sure of that myself. You all may not think it, but we are all family now, each and every one of us. I believe that bond will keep us close enough to conquer anyone and anything in our way."

"Hear, hear!" Keioushi cheered, throwing a fist into the air. Zuko, who was behind her, put a hand on her shoulder as everyone cheered, saying goodbye to each other for a little while.

* * *

Shuang hugged Jin tightly, not wanting her to leave. "I want to protect you more. Who knows when I'll see you again?"

"It's okay, I'll be fine," she reassured him. "You worry too much."

"I don't want to say goodbye," he said quietly.

"Then don't. It's more like farewell. We'll see each other again soon." She kissed him on the cheek, and then they both looked away, blushing.

* * *

Sokka, Aang, Katara, Toph, and Zuko all gathered in a circle to say goodbye. Aang had to go to Omashu for the battle, along with Toph, Haru, Shuang, and Malu. Haru needed more training from Toph, and Aang promised to train Malu in airbending and Shuang wanted to master waterbending. Shuang could not go on Bahamut with Katara, since there was no room. Aang was a master waterbender now, so he could train Shuang in her absence. They were going to be riding above the soldiers on Yanna.

Sokka was still worried over the little ring problem, so he decided to make a traditional Water Tribe necklace instead. He figured Suki might like something he made himself better than a bought ring. At first, he thought about asking Katara for her necklace, but then dismissed it as a stupid idea. Neither Katara nor Suki would be happy about that. He was determined to spend a lot of time on the necklace to make something special, since he really did love the Kyoshi Warrior. And he was almost sure that she loved him just as much. He just turned sixteen recently, so he was almost ready for marriage in his own tribe, anyway. But he didn't want to go by Water Tribe traditions, so Suki wouldn't be confused. He cared for her too much.

He was also worried about splitting up with Aang and Katara. The three of them started this adventure together, and now they were splitting up for who knew how long. They were the golden trio, the original family, closer than anyone else in their now-extended family. Not only that, but Katara was going with Zuko.

"Hey, Zuko," Sokka said to him, holding out his hand. "I'm... trusting you... to look after my baby sister." The ex-Prince nodded, and then shook his hand.

"I hate to say it, but I'll miss the rest of you," Toph said to them. Katara and Aang laughed, and then went to hug her.

"Oh, alright," Sokka groaned, joining the hug.

"Come on, Zuko!" Katara said happily, opening an arm to accept the firebender.

"Er... No thanks, I'll just wait," he said awkwardly. She gave him a look, but he reluctantly patted her on the back. They separated.

Aang jumped to hug Appa's head, enjoying the bison's soft fur. "I'll miss you, buddy." The bison groaned in agreement, and Momo flew over, hugging the two of them. "You're coming with me, Momo." The lemur screeched, and Aang laughed.

Minutes later, Sokka, Suki, Mai, Jin, and Nodoka flew away on Appa to the northwest, towards General Fong's shoreline military base.

* * *

Katara, Zuko, Ty Lee, Keioushi, and Song were flying away on Bahamut minutes after. Ty Lee, Keioushi, and Song were in the saddle, and Zuko was in his usual place in the crook between the dragon's head and neck. Katara was right behind him, holding him tightly around the waist, terrified.

"I feel like I'm going to fall!" she shouted, her voice being taken away by the wind. Luckily, the firebender heard her.

"Just hold on," he reassured her, trying not to let the dragon turn abruptly or anything. Keioushi, Ty Lee, and Song were safely strapped down in the saddle, able to fall asleep if they wished. Unfortunately, it was only big enough for the three of them, and Katara, having the most experience in the air, decided to sit behind Zuko. The minute she did, the firebender blushed, feeling a bit tingly. Katara didn't notice.

He turned around to look at her. "Do you trust me?"

Katara paused. Did she? She struggled to say something. Could she trust him? Zuko realized what he said, and averted his eyes, mumbling an apology.

"Wait," Katara said. "I trust you completely." His golden eyes smiled, and he reached for her waist. She didn't know what he was going to do, until he started to lift her. Her eyes widened, realizing what he was planning. He stopped, noticing her surprise. "No, go ahead."

Nodding, he lifted her quickly, bringing her around him. For a split second she was completely unsupported except for his strong arms, and if he let go she would have died. His tight grip was reassuring, and she was brought around safely to be seated in front of him. It was a good thing that she was so light. She smiled, looking up at him. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully. He smiled back, nodding and looking ahead. For the both of them, it was oddly comforting, sitting on a dragon the way they were. He had his arms around her, gripping Bahamut's horns. After a while, she fell asleep with her head leaning on his arms as they flew across the night sky.

* * *

Toph held onto his arm as they flew on Yanna, Malu's bison.

"Uh... why are you holding onto me?" Aang asked, staring at the blind girl.

"I've always felt a bit helpless on Appa, since I couldn't see. Snoozles was always there to let me hold onto him. Now, Malu's down at the reins and you're sitting in the saddle for once," she explained. "And I don't know Shuang or Haru enough to... you know..."

"I understand," he said, smiling.

"So... Aang... when can we start waterbending?" Shuang asked him.

"When we get to some water," he responded, laughing slightly.

"But I carry around this waterskin," he said, pointing at it on his back, right next to his club.

"It's easier around water," said the Avatar. "And don't forget, I have to start training with Malu soon."

Right now, things were feeling pretty good for Aang. Katara and Sokka were out of harm's way in the war, for now, anyway. He didn't want anything to happen to them. Toph, on the other hand, was extremely tough and able to take care of herself, which she let them know often. They'd all be fine, as long as Aang kept an eye on all of them. In a few days, they'd be at Omashu. As he watched the soldiers marching underneath them, Aang felt a certain energy in the air. It was crackling all around them, and he was sure everyone else felt it. It was a mixture of fear, eagerness, and hope.

It was the calm before the storm.

* * *

**Author's Note: I actually enjoyed writing this chapter, even though it seems a little boring XD. Hope you guys all liked the Zutara moment, even though it was pretty small. That's another step for them.**

**Haha, about Toph and the nicknames, well, she won't have them for everybody. Mostly only the people she interacts with most, or someone she may not like. Haru's nickname actually came from a mistake, however. Sometimes, when I type his name, it comes out "Hary" instead of "Haru," since the stupid y and u are so close together. And then I realized he had a lot of hair (it's like a huge black mane!). So, "Hairy" was born. I'm brilliant, right:D You don't have to answer that...**

**I have a question for all of you. Do you think my summary is alright? I've always been terrible with those, but if anyone can come up with an idea, I'd love you forever. Lol. Maybe not, but... I dunno, hopefully with a better summary I can get more hits. It would be greatly appreciated.**

**Please review:D**


	21. The Battle of Omashu

**Author's Note: I was originally gonna split up the next two chapters, but the Battle of Omashu would have just been split into two, and a lot shorter. I think this would be better for everybody—less of a wait for Zutara, and the same amount to read, lol.**

**Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd get a lot of reviews for one of my stories. I have all of you to thank—ZutaraFan4, MadnessinmyMethod, Hold On Tight, Alexandraya, Shadowsole, GirlCat817, heaven-monument, avatarrocks, StarswiththeMoonlight, and Harlequin Jade.**

**Oh, you might have noticed that we've passed twenty chapters. I'm not going to make it that close to the show, but Book 3: Fire will be longer than twenty chapters. Actually, last chapter would seem like a good way for them to end a season, but I wasn't going to do that. I didn't even plan for it to come out that way, either.**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 21: The Battle of Omashu_

After almost a week of traveling, the tall city of Omashu came into view. Aang was absolutely shocked at the state of the city. Even from this distance, he could tell that most of their delivery system was destroyed. Aang felt a dull ache as he thought of Bumi. He wondered what happened to him. The rebels of Jihen apparently joined with the resistance group in Omashu, too.

From what he knew, it was about an evenly matched fight now. He didn't remember that many soldiers being in the city when he was last there, but that probably changed since then. It would be a long and bloody battle, and he hated himself for thinking it, but it would be for the greater good. He promised himself to defend as many people as he could from harm.

The Avatar learned that they could probably win the battle once they got to the governor's house or the Palace, wherever he was. From there, Aang was determined to find Bumi.

"Hey, guys..." Malu said, turning around to look at them from her spot on Yanna's head. Once she got their attention, she spoke again. "Is anyone else nervous, or is it just me?"

"Of course we are," Haru said. "This is war, and we're just... kids."

"It doesn't matter how old we are, as long as we can make a difference," Aang said wisely. "But... if anything happens to me, promise me that you guys will continue on. The Fire Lord must be stopped."

Malu, Shuang, and Haru nodded solemnly. But Toph squeezed his shoulder somewhat painfully. "What's the point of fighting the Fire Lord without you? You're _not_ going to die here."

"But Toph... you never know," Aang said sadly.

"Shut up, Aang. I'm not done yet," she said harshly. "You're the one to fight the Fire Lord. You always will be."

"You're right," Aang said after a moment. "Thanks, Toph."

"No problem, Twinkletoes."

"What about us? Do you think we're... ready... for battle? You two are master benders," Shuang said worriedly. Aang thought for a moment. It took them (and the soldiers) nearly a week to get to Omashu. In that time, Aang trained Shuang while they made camp, while Toph taught Haru. While they flew, Aang usually trained Malu a little bit. The three of them were getting better, and they had spirit, but they were kind of far from mastery. Aang did enjoy the prospect of teaching, though.

"All of you will be fine. You have the two of us watching after you," he said with a smile. Toph snorted. Haru was coming along a bit slower than Shuang and Malu, since Toph was tougher on him. Aang tried to make it fun for his pupils—aerial battles on their gliders with Malu and positive reinforcement with Shuang. Also, during the course of their training, Aang finally learned and mastered the vanishing trick, thanks to Malu.

The plan for battle was for the majority of the soldiers to attack the front gates of the city, since many soldiers were stationed there. That was where most of the fighting was going on. This was actually a distraction for Aang, his friends, and a few others, who were entering through the sewers. It would be easier for them to reach the Palace or the governor's house that way. He knew Mai was the governor's daughter, and that was the reason why the girl _didn't _want to come to the battle.

Right after Yanna the Sky Bison landed, they met with one of Qi Yi's Generals. Of the five, only three of the Generals were going to be present at this battle. Ursa and Dizi remained in Jihen with Qi Yi. Jeong Jeong was also present with his rebels.

Aang felt rather bored as they discussed the finer plans of the battle. He knew most of the stuff, anyway. Why would he have to remember something that didn't even have to do with what he was doing? They droned on about battle plans and inspirational speeches, but Aang was getting extremely impatient and increasingly nervous for battle.

* * *

Since none of the others had any experience behind Appa's reins, it was Sokka that had to do it. General Fong's base was farthest away by far, and after almost a week of traveling, Sokka was extremely impatient. They'd be able to go a little faster if they didn't have all of these soldiers beneath them... What if the Fire Nation attacked already? Surely they wouldn't wait a full week near their shores? Luckily, the soldiers also seemed to realize the same thing, since they were moving with extreme haste. Qi Yi thrust the responsibility on Sokka to lead them all to battle, since Aang assured him that the warrior was a tactical genius. Sokka was flattered by the compliment, but at the same time nervous. He was being trusted greatly. What if he messed up? There were a hundred men at his disposal.

"Sokka!" Suki suddenly yelled, alarmed.

"What?" he asked, irritated only a tiny bit. He hated being pulled from his thoughts.

"There's smoke!" Sure enough, a tall, black column of smoke was rising into the air in the distance. It was in the mountains, and Sokka thought of only one thing.

"It's got to be General Fong's base!" he yelled. He pulled on Appa's reins, and the bison swooped down to the soldiers below. "They need our help _now_! We're going off—help us when you get there!" he ordered. Instead of waiting for a response, Appa sped off to the battle.

In the heat of everything, Sokka couldn't help but grin. Out of the five of them—Sokka, Suki, Jin, Mai, and Nodoka—none of them were benders. Now was their chance to show everybody just what they could do.

The walls and tower of the military base were just coming into view, as well as fiery comets sailing towards it. Without the soldiers, the five of them would barely make a difference. _But we have to try_, Aang's voice said in his head. So what if he had mental pictures of his friends giving him advice?

After a few minutes of flying, Appa dropped them off in the middle of the base. The five of them ran to the stairs leading up to the tower. He needed to speak with General Fong. They weren't disappointed when the General himself burst from the heavy doors.

"General! We're here to help! The Jihen rebels sent us!" Sokka yelled to him. Fong looked down, just noticing he was there.

"Ah, it's you. Yes, I remember you. You're the Avatar's friend. Where is he? He can crush them all!" Sokka thought he looked momentarily mad.

"He's not here," Sokka said. And he was glad he didn't come. The crazy General didn't look fazed in the least.

"No matter. We'll be able to stop them. We are strong earthbenders. We don't need your help!" And with that, he ran off. Sokka gave confused looks to the others, and they shrugged.

_Five minutes later..._

"We need your help," General Fong said sadly to Sokka, looking bruised and beaten. "They've overwhelmed our defenses. The western wall has fallen."

"Alright, General Thong—Fong, sorry, old habit—we need to use the mountains around us to our advantage. Use your earthbenders. Get them off the wall, it's too dangerous. They need to keep the mountains crumbling—they can make a makeshift wall. We can also use the mountains to collapse down on the soldiers on the beach!" Sokka exclaimed, getting just a little excited.

Minutes later, the order was given, and the earthbenders hopped among the jagged mountains, having tons of rock deteriorate and crush most of the offending troops. The ships in the water still had catapults firing, and some of the soldiers survived the onslaught, rushing through and milling into the military base by the hundreds. Sokka put on a steely mask of resolve, pulling his boomerang and machete out. His comrades drew their weapons, getting ready to go down for battle.

Sokka arranged them in the way he thought most effective. Sokka led them, with Nodoka and Jin a little behind him on his left and right, respectively. Suki was right behind them, and Mai took up the rear. With Sokka, Nodoka, and Jin in front, the three of their heavy weapons would rip apart anything in their way. Suki was behind them to deal with anyone that got past to Mai. The dart-thrower in question was ready to offer ranged support.

The five charged into battle with Fong's remaining soldiers, Sokka letting out a tribal war cry. He threw his boomerang, knocking out an enemy soldier, while Mai threw knives, knocking down several more. Nodoka was first to reach the soldiers with a flying leap, skewering a soldier with his spear. He quickly pulled it out of the body, swinging it around and bringing down three more with just one sweep.

Jin was still no expert, but she was swinging _Kira-Duragon _with expert ease, living up to its name. It meant "Killer of Dragons"—the firebenders. She excelled in speed, her katana was moving in a blur, cutting down several of her enemies. She ducked, deflected, and dodged, striking back with just as much force. Suki threw attacks away with her fans, moving like water and even tricking her enemies into striking each other. She jumped up on the shaft of one's spear, and kicked at the man's face with her boots.

Sokka, now in close combat, was unable to use his boomerang. Now, with his club in one hand and the machete in the other, he mauled and sliced at the soldiers all around him, easily avoiding attacks like a true master warrior. Hakoda had taught him well.

The earthbenders had their element all around them, and the masters were expertly stoning the soldiers to death. The battle could have easily been won—except for the fact that the ships down at the port kept sending gigantic fireballs blindly at the military base. They were destroying many Fire Nation soldiers in addition to Earth Kingdom ones—but they were causing more destruction than help.

An especially large one knocked apart a good chunk of the tower, and seeing this, Sokka knew they had to stop the catapults.

* * *

The Fire Nation camp was closer to Jihen than any of the other two destinations. Bahamut the Black Dragon was also faster than Appa and Yanna. Their trip was rather boring—the only entertainment was Ty Lee and Keioushi's antics. Zuko noticed that they wouldn't stop flirting with each other.

"Will you _stop_?" Zuko yelled, finally losing it. Keioushi halted in his merciless tickling of Ty Lee. He was trying to think of a way for them to get rid of the soldiers in the encampment without being detected. They were watching from the trees as about fifty soldiers loaded up carts of blasting jelly. There were nearly twenty tents of soldiers, all in two straight lines. There would have to be a lot of stealth involved. He was starting to think about his allys' stealth abilities when Katara interrupted him.

"I can't help but feel that we should be at the battle. I'm worried for them..."

"This is an important job," he said distractedly. Normally, he wasn't one to plan things, but he doubted anyone else was doing any kind of thinking.

"Are you even worried about them?" she asked him. He sighed, unable to ignore her.

"Not really. The Avatar and Toph are strong."

"And what about Sokka and whatever _he's_ doing?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"I don't know. Can't really say the same for him, can I?" Katara staggered.

"War isn't really a place for me. I feel I am needed more here," Song said gently. Zuko couldn't help but agree with that. Everything about the herbalist was gentle.

"Okay. Stop talking and let me think," he said, with a tone of finality. Katara huffed, but Song giggled slightly. "What?"

"I already came up with a plan hours ago." Now it was Zuko's turn to stagger.

"You mean you had a plan as soon as we landed?" Katara asked with some amazement. They were sitting there for hours, planning and resting for the battle to come. Song just shrugged and nodded.

"We'll use their blasting jelly," she said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Katara bobbed her head in appreciation of the idea.

"Alright. Let's go," Zuko said. Ty Lee and Keioushi immediately stopped bickering about something, getting determined looks in their eyes. Zuko crept down first, edging closely to one of the black tents. Luckily, it took them until nightfall to come up with a plan. Now they were safe under a blanket of darkness.

Zuko was an expert at stealth, but he was slightly surprised at the rest of the party's ability. Ty Lee, as expected, bent easily and was extremely light on her feet. Keioushi was a soldier, so he had some experience in this department. Katara was also very quiet and had a surprising bit of ability. Song was clearly the worst at it—the snapped a twig at one point, and the rest of them cringed. Luckily, no one else seemed to hear it.

The soldiers were patrolling by the light of their torches, and it made things slightly easier to slink through the shadows. The five crept around without much trouble, until there was a soldier directly in the row across from them, patrolling in the other row of tents. One movement and he would see them... Zuko cursed under his breath.

Song slowly got out her slingshot, fishing in her small white bag for some kind of ammo. She pulled out a marble-sized black ball, loaded it, and carefully shot. The projectile sailed right through their camp, and hit the soldier right in the face. He looked stunned for a moment, but on impact a light purple gas came out of the tiny ball. He slumped to the ground.

"What did you do?" Katara whispered to her.

"It was sleeping gas. I've dabbled in alchemy a bit," she whispered back, smiling slightly. She patted the side of her bag, and Zuko was surprised at the wide-eyed girl.

They edged around the next tent, but each of them froze when they saw a surprised soldier. Zuko got out his broadswords ready to kill the man silently, but he already blew his horn.

* * *

Aang airbended the slime away, not wanting to know what was in it. Shuang and Malu kept it off of the rebels. The trip through the sewers was uneventful, with the occasional "ew" from the infiltrators. Aang told them about the pentapi, so each time someone had one stuck to them, they were tickled off. Toph opened the sewer hatch for them.

Everyone warily emerged from the hole, looking around for any soldiers. There were none. _Good, _Aang thought. _The distraction worked._

They all ran together in the direction of the palace. Aang took the moment to look at all of the construction that was going on. They were trying to make "New Ozai" into a Fire Nation city. Aang wondered what was going to happen to the Fire Nation citizens that moved in after the takeover.

Aang and Malu could have reached the palace quickly, but not all of the people here were airbenders. They winded through the city streets, moving up to the top of the city. Every second that went by felt wasted. More and more people were dying down below.

"This is taking too long!" Toph said impatiently. "Everybody, stop!" They listened to her, confused by her command. She got into an earthbending stance, holding both arms and legs out. She was concentrating hard, straining with something. All around them, the ground broke off from the rest of the city. They began floating on a giant platform, held aloft by Toph. "Aang—help!"

Aang, Haru, and all of the other earthbenders helped her lift the great slab of stone. It moved a lot faster with all of the earthbenders, but it took a lot of energy for them. In no time at all, they reached the front of the palace, and dropped. Aang paled when he saw firebenders emerge from the palace. He began regretting doing Toph's idea. They were seen by too many people, and there were twice as many firebenders than them.

Toph reacted first, shifting her hands to have a good portion of the delivery system topple on them. Aang and Haru pushed the rubble at several who dodged, while Shuang began attacking with a water whip. Already, some of the firebenders began attacking the rebel earthbenders, and some were sent flying off of the ledge. Aang reacted to this, pulling up an earth wall behind them to prevent anyone else from falling.

That wasn't an issue for Toph. With each stomp of her foot, firebenders went sailing twenty feet in the air, clearly over Aang's wall. Malu hopped all over the place, causing the enemy troops to focus most of their attacks on her as she sent the occasional burst of air. Her glider opened up and she took to the sky with fireballs following her. She teamed up with Haru, who fought the distracted firebenders.

The Avatar was busy protecting everyone from harm. Twice he had to blast away a firebender who nearly burnt Toph's head, and several times he made an air barrier for the soldiers. A large amount of fire went sailing towards Shuang, but Aang jumped in front and redirected it. Zuko taught him enough to maintain a small flame and control other people's fire, but the Avatar wasn't ready for making his own fire blasts. So far, this was easy. They could do this.

Spirits, was he wrong.

"Ooh, the Avatar's back!" an androgynous voice said gleefully. Aang turned to the newcomer.

"Admiral Piza?" he asked, scratching his head. The weird Admiral was last seen by them at the Crystal Village, weeks ago.

"No, it's _General_," he said scathingly. Two more figures followed him. They were both strong, pale men in Fire Nation armor. One had thick brown sideburns that reminded him terribly of Zhao, and the other had black hair in a topknot.

"Who're they?" the Avatar asked.

"Zhang!" Shuang and Haru said fearfully. "And... Piza!?"

"Oh, yes. I remember you two," Piza said, wrinkling his nose as if he smelled something bad. "Where are your girlfriends?"

"I asked you who they are!" Aang yelled forcefully. General Piza raised an eyebrow at him.

"Fine, if you must know..." he said, sighing. "General Fhuzaz, and... _Admiral _Zhang." Zhang was the aggressive looking one with the sideburns, but Fhuzaz looked stern and uncaring. Piza said Zhang's title as if he was bragging that the Admiral was below him.

"Aang, be careful. Zhang's tough," Shuang warned.

"We can take you wimps!" Toph yelled, getting rid of the last Fire Nation troop.

"Wait just a minute," Piza said, waving his hand lazily. An arc of blue fire shot from it at extreme speeds, and they could do nothing but jump out of the way. The next thing that happened made Aang regret the decision for the rest of his life. The rebels could do nothing as the fire hit them, sending them all flying into the earth wall as it completely shattered, causing them to fly right through it and down below.

"You monster!" Malu yelled. Piza just laughed, raising his arms. Blue fire swarmed all around him—even bringing him into the air. Aang gaped. That was impossible! The Ghost-Witch swung her staff at the crazed firebender, but a blast of blue fire stopped the blow.

"I'll kill you all!" Zhang yelled, enraged. A blast of red fire from his hands went towards Toph, but an earth barrier stopped it. She backhanded the air twice, and layers of rock sent the Admiral flying into the palace. A stream of water, courtesy of Shuang, grabbed him by the ankle and flung him into the walls one more time, and the firebending master came to his feet. Toph and Zhang traded blows constantly, but together, Toph and Shuang were gaining the upper hand over the Admiral.

Malu and Haru were working together to take down the insane firebender that was Piza. He responded to attacks with stronger blows of his own, and he was soon overwhelming them. How was this man using such a large amount of fire without getting tired? Torrents of blue were washed out at them, and several times Malu had to open up her glider and fly the two of them out of the way. It was amazing how his robes didn't burn in the heat. Whenever he sent smaller blasts of flame, Malu was able to jump in front of them and swing her staff wildly, warding off his attacks. Haru kicked up as many slabs of stone as he could, but other fire blasts destroyed them in seconds.

Toph came over to help Aang once she finished with Zhang. Fhuzaz grunted as he was thrown away by a block of stone. All five of them turned to face Piza.

"Hm, you're a strong one, aren't you?" the General asked, his flames calming.

"Yeah, the greatest earthbender there ever was!" she boasted, smirking. "You want a piece of me?"

"Confident," he mused, holding out a finger. He moved it in a wide circle, lightning trailing behind it. He clutched his hand as it crackled with electricity that moved up and down his arm. They each braced themselves for an attack, when Piza suddenly held his arm out straight and a concentrated lightning ball burst from it like a cannon. It was shooting straight at Toph, who didn't have time to react—but Aang did. He jumped in front of the attack, swinging his staff, and an arc of air went out and sliced it in half. Aang screamed in pain.

Both halves of the lightning ball, though weakened, still packed a punch. They burned much of his upper body, and he fell to the ground, smoldering. Toph snarled, and all around her, rock began quaking and crumbling. She raised both arms, and brought them crashing down. The delivery system, the parts of the palace, and even the mountains came down around her, mimicking her movements. Haru was doing all he could to protect himself, Malu, and Shuang.

Blasts of lightning and blue fire were seen in the dust and rubble, annihilating anything that was coming near the source—Piza. When everything finally cleared, the three of them could only see Toph and Piza standing, a motionless Aang at the girl's feet. The firebender was panting, looking bruised and slumped over. He collapsed. Toph breathed out a sigh of relief and bent down to examine Aang.

"Is he... dead?" Shuang worriedly asked, trying to make his way over to Aang and Toph.

"Neither of them are," Haru said quietly. Toph taught him how to feel weak vibrations.

Toph was kneeling next to Aang as the other three came. A gasp from Malu told her it didn't look good. She felt his face. It was getting cold.

"T-Twinkletoes... don't die on me," she whispered, a single tear sliding down her cheek. He weakly opened his eyes.

"Are you crying?" He had a small smile on his face as he looked up at his teacher.

"Why did you do that, you big dunderhead?" she asked, sniffling. She couldn't help but smile when he did. Her voice was shaking. She desperately wished Katara was here... then she could heal him...

"I couldn't let you get hurt. You would have died," he said, sounding tired.

"Nobody's ever done that for me before," she whispered, her tears falling more freely now. Nothing else mattered at the moment... the sounds of battle were lost on her ears. It was starting to sink in. Aang was... dying. There was no oasis water to help him this time, no Katara and her waterbending. Shuang's feeble attempts at healing weren't helping at all. "Why did you have to do that? I'm... expendable... in this war. You aren't, Aang. You need to beat—"

"Don't say that," he interrupted her. Her words hurt her, but they were true. She avoided saying it all this time, but it lingered in all of their minds. "You are all important to me..."

She didn't notice Haru, Shuang, and Malu running off into the palace. At the moment, she didn't care. It felt as if all time was running out... and she had to let him know. It didn't matter to her that he still had feelings for Katara...

"You've all been so great to me since I joined your family. You freed me from my prison. You are the nicest person I know, and I really think you're tough enough to save the world, and what I guess I'm trying to say is...

"I love you, Twinkletoes."

The two of them were covered in dirt and dust, blood and sweat... but that didn't matter to her either. The rock and remains of the earth wall formed a huge crater around them, but the last thing she remembered seeing were a few shadowy figures running up to her before she blacked out.

* * *

Backing up from the battle going on around him, Sokka pulled it out of his pocket and pushed the whistle to his lips. Moments later, Appa came out of nowhere and swooped down next to Sokka, slamming his tail on the ground and sending a dozen soldiers flying.

The Water Tribe warrior climbed up on the bison's head, hanging off the side by his horn. "Appa, yip, yip!" he yelled. "Fly over to the ships!" The bison obeyed his command, soaring into the air. Appa flew through all of the fireballs in the air, dodging around them expertly. Sokka couldn't help but cheer him on. He thought he looked pretty cool hanging off the side of his head like this by one hand.

As he flew over the wall, Sokka's eyes widened when he saw how many ships there were. He was expecting two or three, but there were five. He didn't think they'd be able to take them all down.

"My time to shine," he said to himself, smirking. There was one catapult on each ship. If he took those down, it would make things a lot easier. As Sokka and Appa passed over one, soldiers on deck pointed at them, alarmed. He flung his boomerang down at one of the ropes in the catapult. He had no idea what it did, but he was eager to cause some damage anyway. He grinned triumphantly when the loaded catapult swung the fireball at the ship's hull, and Sokka's boomerang came back. That was the only ship docked, and it was where all of the infantry came from.

"Woohoo!" Sokka cheered. He repeated the process on two more ships, but by the time he got to the fourth one, they realized what he was doing. They blocked his boomerang with something, and it fell feebly to the ground. The warrior growled. He commanded Appa to land on the ship's deck, and when he landed, he scrambled for his boomerang. Appa landed right next to him, using his tail to send them all overboard. He ran inside to be faced with three more soldiers all armed with spears. He gulped nervously. "Uh... comin' through," he said, flinging his boomerang at one and using his machete to chop another's spear shaft. Weaponless, the second soldier went running.

"You've got some guts, kid," the third soldier said gruffly. "But your little conquest ends here."

"I dunno, I still got stuff to do," he said in reply, ducking under his spear jab and headbutting him in the gut. The man doubled over, and Sokka rubbed his throbbing head. "I thought that'd turn out better..."

He continued running through the Fire Navy Ship, encountering no more soldiers until he found the "control room" sign. Suddenly coming up with an idea, he burst through the door. Only the captain and a worker were there, both looking frightened. Sokka strode up to them, still grinning, and smacked both of them on the head with his club, knocking them out. Once they were out of the way, he took control of the ship and slammed it into the fifth vessel. Grinning like a child in a candy shop, he broke the window, jumped out, and landed on Appa, who flew up into the air. He watched with glee as the hijacked ship broke through to the other ship's engine room, causing a satisfying explosion.

"Sokka, you _rock_," he said to himself.

* * *

Each of their eyes widened as the alarm went off, but Zuko reacted first by grabbing Katara's wrist and pulling her along. Soldiers chased them down, and Zuko and Katara both fired their own respective elements at them. Song was able to twist around and shoot at their heads, knocking them out and comically causing others to trip over their fallen comrades.

Zuko threw caution to the wind as he set fire to each of the tents that they passed, trying to cause as much damage as possible. His sole aim at the moment was to get to Bahamut... he was their only chance of escape...

Unfortunately, they were forced to sprint in the wrong direction... they had to cut across and turn around to get back. He was waiting for a good opportunity to do so when Katara grabbed him by the wrist and brought him to the right. They made a quick U-Turn around the flaming tent, but after a few easy moments of sprinting the soldiers realized what they did and intercepted them. Ty Lee and Keioushi threw themselves on the attackers, fists flying in all directions. The soldiers fell, either knocked out or paralyzed.

"Fight through!" Katara yelled, her water whip flying in all directions. Some of the other soldiers used buckets of water to try and put out the fires, but as they sailed through the air, they came under the waterbender's control and were added to her attacks. Ty Lee and Keioushi eventually made a gap, and all five fighters rushed through. Zuko desperately wished he owned some kind of whistle to call his dragon, like the Avatar did... Unfortunately, he couldn't whistle with his mouth.

Luckily, Katara and Song could, who both came up with the same idea. In moments, the great black dragon soared through the air with a roar, sending many soldiers running. They clambered on and he took to the sky, bellowing flames down at the frightened soldiers. Some firebenders and archers tried retaliating, but were either swallowed by the fires or their attacks bounced harmlessly off of the dragon's scales.

The alchemist hefted her slingshot after searching through her bag again, closing one eye and aiming carefully. With a snap, another unknown projectile rocketed through the sky towards the barrels of blasting jelly. The tiny marble exploded, followed shortly after the blasting jelly. In a maelstrom of fire and wood, the Fire Nation encampment was completely destroyed.

Katara, in front of him once again, sighed with relief. Sitting the way they were became an everyday sort of thing, and neither of them minded.

"So, what's next?" Zuko asked.

* * *

Haru sighed with relief. It was over. Once Aang was hurt, he, Malu, and Shuang fought to the Throne room, where they found the governor, completely defenseless. They forced him to tell them the location of King Bumi, who was in the prison cells. After that, they ran back to Toph and Aang, who were both unconscious.

King Bumi immediately ordered medics and healers to come and help the two. Some were even from the Fire Nation, and Bumi said he'd let them live if they helped. In no time, they confirmed he was alive and he'd be fine.

Haru, Malu, and Shuang went to visit Aang shortly after. It seemed that they... took off... the burnt skin, and now his whole upper body was just red and puffy. Toph was still unconscious—in the battle, she used way too much energy than was normal, and she just needed to recover. When they saw him, Aang just gave them an encouraging smile and asked how things were doing.

"The soldiers and governor surrendered. We still don't know what the King's doing with them, but they're starting to get to the wounded and rallying troops for the liberation of Ba Sing Se," Haru answered.

"Yeah, it was a tough battle," Malu added.

"Things are going good," Shuang finished.

"How's Sifu Toph doing?" Haru asked. Aang averted his eyes for a moment, but answered.

"She hasn't woken up yet."

"She'll be fine. She's tough," Malu comforted him.

"I know that. I just... Nevermind. What happened to General Piza, General Fhuzaz, and Admiral Zhang?" he asked. All three of them caught the change in subject.

"They disappeared," the airbender answered, shrugging. "Sorry, Aang." The Avatar just nodded. After a few moments of silence, King Bumi entered the room, looking slightly tired.

"Bumi!" Aang said happily.

"Hello, Aang. I see you've taken quite the beating," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but we made it. You have Omashu back," the Avatar said, smiling.

"You don't think I'm _staying _here, do you? I'm helping in Ba Sing Se!"

"Wha-what? But...!"

"No buts, Aang. I _am _the strongest earthbender in the world, after all," the old king said, smirking.

"You wish. I'll fight you... as soon as I'm better," Toph suddenly said aggressively. Her eyes were now open, but she still seemed tired.

"I'll take you up on that offer," Bumi cackled.

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow, I enjoyed writing this chapter more than I thought I would. Lots of stuff happened in this one, so I expect long reviews :D **

**It's almost 2 AM... so pardon any mistakes you see in this.**


	22. Kinto the Waterbender

**Author's Notes: For some reason, I've been excited about writing this chapter for quite a while. A bit of stuff goes on :D**

**Oh, before I forget. The third out of four card game character appears in this chapter. I don't own him, either.**

**A biggg thanks to: Tefnut Talvi, GirlCat817, Shadowsole, heaven-monument, StarswiththeMoonlight, Daughter of Horus, ZutaraFan4, Hold On Tight, Harlequin Jade, avatarrocks, and MadnessinmyMethod.**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 22: Kinto the Waterbender_

_She was four years old, and already there was fire shooting from her fingertips. The little girl was eager to join in her father's and brother's lessons, but the moment her father saw her red flames, all attention was on her. She didn't even feel tired. She was happy._

_For a moment, she couldn't see, since a heavy mist covered her eyes. When it cleared, she saw the little girl again... except she was a few years older. _

"_Daddy likes me a lot better," she bragged to her older brother._

"_Does not!" he protested._

"_Oh, Zuzu. You're just angry 'cause I'm a better firebender, and you have no friends!"_

"_I have friends!"_

"_Who, the turtle ducks?" she smirked cruelly. That felt nice on her face, as if it was always meant to be there. _

"_Azula!" The little girl turned, gasping. She didn't know her mother was nearby!_

"_Yes, mother?" she asked sweetly._

"_Come here this instant. Leave your brother alone," she scolded._

_Azula stuck her tongue out at her mother's back, and muttered under her breath, "I'll see you later, Zuzu." Her brother, in response, kicked a rock in anger. She followed her mother inside the Palace._

"_Explain yourself," Ursa said, folding her arms and looking down at her._

"_I was just telling Zuzu who was the better bender," she said offhandedly._

"_He is your brother. You should love him."_

"_Who would love _him_? He's a failure!"_

"_Don't say that about your brother!"_

"_You don't tell me what to do! I'm a better firebender than you'll ever be!" In anger, Azula set fire to her mother's robes, and ran away. The last thing she saw before running away was her mother's look of shock and... disappointment?_

_Dozens of scenes flashed by of Azula doing similar things to her mother. She saw her breaking Ursa's porcelain dolls... Shattering her mirror... Yelling rude things to her..._

* * *

Azula's eyes snapped open, sweat beading down her face. Seeing her mother again... so clearly... it was unnerving. Jet was next to her again, but this time she couldn't find the will to care. She was too distressed.

"What is wrong with me?" she asked, staring at the ceiling. What was this she was feeling? Regret? It was odder than feeling absolutely nothing. She had the sudden drive to prove to her mother that she was strong... so she wouldn't feel disappointment anymore.

"What was the dream about?" Jet asked.

"None of your business," she replied rudely.

"Fine. I'm going back to bed."

"Why are you always there at night?" She yawned, feeling sleep come over her.

"Because I want to help," Jet answered.

"I thought you hate firebenders."

"Anyone can change. Even I have." There was no reply. He looked over to Azula, who fell asleep again. "I'll always be there," he said quietly, turning over and going back to sleep.

* * *

Days after the battle of Omashu, their troops numbered more than double of what they did before. They were in front of the Serpent's Pass now—Ba Sing Se awaited on the other side. In a weird way, Aang was excited. Katara and Sokka were coming back soon, and with the hundreds of earthbenders, their plan was to reconstruct the pass and make it safe to cross. When the war was over, there would be no more need for secret ferry routes. The only thing he was upset about was that he missed the celebrations for the freedom of Omashu, because both he and Toph were still in the healer's care at the time.

"Do you think they're alright?" Shuang asked worriedly. "Why aren't they back yet?"

"Calm down," Toph said, annoyed. "Hey Bumi!"

"Toph, be a bit nicer to him," Aang said to the girl.

"Don't tell me what to do, _Aang_." For some reason, when she said his name it felt as if that was the worst thing she could ever call him. He actually preferred Twinkletoes from her now...

He thought it had to do with what she said back in Omashu, when he was injured by Piza. He felt conflicted and torn. He wasn't sure if he felt the same way... His feelings for Katara were still there, but they were dulled—not as sharp as before. He was learning to give up on her, to look at her more like a sister. She was never going to return his feelings.

But what did he feel for Toph? Maybe being with her could help him keep his mind off of Katara. But could he really find happiness anywhere else? He did find himself thinking of Toph a lot lately. Every once in a while, he'd weigh the pros and cons of the two of them. Katara was a lot nicer, but she was older than him. Is that why she didn't like him? Toph was nice in her own way, and you had to really know her to figure out how she truly felt. She was a mystery waiting to be unraveled. Life was certainly more interesting with her around. Now that he thought about it, she really had no downsides... She was tough, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She could defend herself, and she had the true earthbender attitude.

He really didn't know it, but he was growing more and more infatuated with Toph.

"Bumi! I'm bored. Let's have that long-awaited fight now," the earthbender said, smirking. It was true, many of the soldiers were looking forward to the fight—many even placed bets already.

The old King nodded, smiling widely. He took off his outer robes again, showing a surprising amount of muscle. "Let's see how well you've been teaching Aang."

"Winner is the best earthbender in the world!" Toph proclaimed.

"First, we have to go over the rules," Bumi said, pointing up a finger. "No deathblows—"

"—I wasn't going to do that—"

"No one else can get involved—"

"Well that's just a given—"

"And to win, you have to knock the other person in the water!" he finished, eyes widening gleefully. "Let's start... now!" Bumi jumped up into the air, kicking his foot into the ground as he landed, laughing like he always did. A large quake went through the ground, but Toph simply jumped. Two boulders rose with her, and both were punched at the crazy King.

Bumi got a chunk of the ground up to block just in time, snorting. He walked over to the blind girl, each step bringing up a jagged rock. The Blind Bandit rose on a slab of stone, with dozens of rocks holding it up. Each of them darted to Bumi, whose hands went at amazing speeds. Each of them halted in midair, and then moved as a whole back to Toph. She crouched under a dome of solid stone. Waves of earth then converged on Bumi, who was covered completely in moments.

Nobody moved. They weren't even breathing.

The pile of stone suddenly exploded, rocks shooting out in all directions. Bumi emerged, fist out, panting.

"I'm getting too old for this," he wheezed.

"_Getting _old?" Toph said, coming out of her protective dome. "You're the oldest damn thing I've ever seen!"

The crowd "oooh"ed. Bumi laughed out loud. He suddenly moved his hands as if lifting something heavy, and a great mass of the ground underneath Toph broke off, floating up in the air. The crowd cheered for Bumi. Only Aang, Malu, Shuang, and Haru cheered for Toph. The piece of rock snapped in half, and both of the smaller pieces moved to crush the girl. Everyone was silent when Toph disappeared.

Suddenly, the large piece went flying towards Bumi, and the King's eyes widened. He jumped out of the way just in time. The rock split apart, and Toph emerged, smirking.

"I'm not done yet," she said. What happened next seemed to be in slow motion, as both combatants kicked at the ground at exactly the same time. The attack moved through the ground, passing right by each other, and hit only Bumi. Toph dodged out of the way, seeing the attack before it came. The King went soaring through the air, landing in the water after what seemed like several minutes. Everyone was silent.

Bumi used earthbending to jump from the water, sputtering. "Aang, you have chosen a fine teacher."

"Now let that be a lesson to all of you!" Toph yelled. "I am the best earthbender in the world!" Every soldier, General, and rebel cheered loudly for her, until they heard a great roar in the distance. Every eye looked to the sky, and a giant black dragon descended on them, eliciting more cheers from the crowd. "Go ahead, take away my spotlight," Toph muttered to herself.

Katara, Zuko, Keioushi, and Song jumped off of Bahamut. Ty Lee hopped off with an elegant bow, bending low to the ground. Keioushi was flexing his muscles. Katara's eyes weren't fixed on them, Toph, or even Aang. She had her eye on someone in the crowd, her brow raised in a curious manner.

"Katara!" Aang yelled happily. At that moment, murmurs went through the crowd, and a white speck was spotted in the distance. It soon grew, and Aang smiled widely when he saw Appa. When he landed, Sokka, Suki, Mai, Nodoka, and Jin jumped off.

As soon as Appa landed, Shuang rushed forward to greet Jin. "Shuang!" she yelled, smiling.

"Jin!" he yelled back with equal happiness. As soon as the two met, the waterbender kissed her full on the lips. Her eyes widened, but she soon put her arms around his shoulders. Many more cheers ran through the crowd, and the two blushed furiously.

After everyone was finished reuniting, a young man in dark blue clothing came up to them. Aang raised his eyebrow. This guy was from the Northern Water Tribe.

"Hey, I saw you before!" Katara pointed out. "I was about to go over and talk to you." _So that's what she saw, _Aang thought.

"The name's Kinto," he said, holding out his hand. Both Aang and Katara shook it. "I've been traveling all over the world, waiting to meet you guys. You should hear the stories!"

"Oh, that's great. But you... traveled all around the world just to meet _us_?" Aang asked, confused.

"Nah," he said, waving his arm. Sokka walked up to them, to see what was going on. "I travel around to learn the best waterbending techniques there ever was. My goal is to be the _best_."

"Oh, you're a waterbender!" Katara exclaimed. "So am I!"

Aang suddenly felt someone poke him on the shoulder from behind. He turned around to see the ocean blue eyes of Shuang. "Aang, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Uh... sure," he said. The two walked a short distance away from Kinto, and Shuang turned around.

"I know Kinto," he said. "He was a kid that used to live in the Northern Water Tribe. He was kinda banished, he caused too much trouble. Ever since then, he's been traveling all around the world, doing who knows what."

"Thanks for the warning, Shuang," Aang said, nodding. He rejoined the conversation with Katara and Kinto, but Sokka just stood listening. Aang sighed; he was being a bit nosy again.

"I dunno, I don't usually duel people much," he heard Katara say, shrugging.

"How about you then, Avatar? Wanna duel me? See who's stronger?"

"Uh... No thanks. Why don't you try Shuang? He's training to become a master," he replied.

"Hah! That weakling? No way!" Kinto scoffed.

"He's getting pretty strong," the Avatar said, going to his friend's defense.

"Nah, I don't wanna duel him. Anyways, I guess I'm stayin' here. This is where all the fighting's going on," Kinto said, shrugging. They all stared at him oddly as he walked away.

* * *

"So, what happened after I... fell unconscious?" Azula asked, fighting mentally not to inspect her grimy nails. She wanted to break that habit. They were too disgusting to look at. Also, the concept of falling unconscious seemed completely foreign to her.

"We fought off the rest of those thugs. Turns out they weren't even in the Earth Kingdom army. They just wanted a place to control," Jet said, twisting a piece of grass in his hand. "Iroh brought you back to the inn to rest."

Right now, the two of them were laying down in a field right outside the Crystal village. Azula demanded to leave the inn, wanting some outside space away from peasants. Jet refused to let her out of his sight, in case she tried to run away, so he ended up coming with her. She was still mad about having to sit with a peasant, though.

"Your Uncle said that your lightning stopped working. How'd that happen?" the boy asked, curious.

"How the hell would I know?" she said, as if bored.

"Just wondering. It _is _your lightning."

"Would you rather I had it to kill you painfully?" she asked, smirking.

"No. Truthfully, I'd rather not die at all," he responded. "Wait a minute. Wouldn't lightning hurt less? I would rather not be burned to death. Get your lightning back."

Azula actually laughed at this, but it was a bit of a cold laugh. "True, lightning is a bit... cleaner."

"Does Iroh know anything about it?"

"I don't know," she snapped. "I don't talk to that oaf."

"Why don't you mind talking to me, then?"

"You're... bearable, to a level."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

* * *

They began their journey through the Serpent's Pass shortly after meeting Kinto. Several earthbending troops led the way, opening up a new, more stable path through the rock. More earthbenders were behind them, protecting them from rockfalls or collapsing land. The female rebels helped decorate the pass, trying to make it look less forbidding.

After the constant work, the earthbenders (including Aang, Toph, and Haru) all needed rest. It was still the middle of the day, and they didn't get very far. They made a series of wide, circular areas in the rock, so the army could rest. Sure, it was a little cramped, but it would have to do for them. How many armies in the future would pass through here?

Zuko was sitting against one of the walls, staring out at the ocean. He thought about the two and a half week period he spent with Katara. In that time, the two got closer. It was, he had to admit, great to have a friend. She got him to laugh on several occasions, and he couldn't help when she did. It was really contagious.

Another person came to sit down next to him. Zuko turned to look, and was slightly surprised to see Jeong Jeong. "You are the son of Lady Ursa, correct?"

Zuko nodded.

"She asked me... as a friend to a friend... to help you master firebending. You are strong and disciplined, I can feel it. I will not be ashamed to teach you, for you can be trusted with the power."

"Thank you," Zuko responded, staring out at the ocean again.

"We will start now. Stand up," the master firebender ordered. Zuko raised an eyebrow but complied. "You are well past the basics. Nearly a master. You just need a calmed and balanced mind."

"I've been told," he said, hearing it many times from Iroh.

"And I think you have it," Jeong Jeong said, his lip twitching. "You know the motion to produce lightning, correct?" The ex- Fire Prince nodded. "Good. Try it."

"What is different now? The last time I've tried it, it just exploded in my face," Zuko said a little angrily, refusing to do it again.

"Whose side are you on?" the rebel questioned.

Zuko answered without pausing. "The Avatar's. I owe something to my father."

"You have a balanced mind. Now, you can produce lightning."

Zuko nodded, a little unnerved, and went through the motions. He concentrated, and felt a tiny shock go through his body. Lightning trailed from his hands as he moved them. It forked out to the expansive sky, and many rebels turned their heads to look.

"You are a master," Jeong Jeong said simply.

"That's... that's it?" Zuko asked, a little disbelieving.

"Yes. Few have the power to produce lightning. You have the skill, the technique, the power. All you needed was a calmed mind and soul. I cannot and will never try. I have not accepted the power of firebending, and thus, I cannot produce lightning."

"Thank you," Zuko bowed, a little shocked at his words. "But I will never use it."

Jeong Jeong was about to walk away, but he halted, waiting for Zuko to finish. "It reminds me too much of my sister Azula. I will not be like her."

Jeong Jeong nodded, a small, genuine smile on his face. He walked back to the camp.

* * *

It was a clear and beautiful night. Millions of stars shone in the sky, but they all paled in comparison to the moon, his Yue. It was a crescent tonight. He never stopped thinking about her, but she would want him to move on. She told him in a dream once.

She encouraged him to love Suki. Sokka cursed. Love was an odd thing. Not that he hated it, he _did _love Suki.

He was currently sitting under the stone arch, the same one he chose to sit on last time. But this time, Suki was sitting there with him. She held his hand as they both gazed at the moon in silence. He thought about proposing to her now, but the necklace wasn't finished... And it was customary to give it to them _as _he was asking her. He would settle for nothing less. He wanted to make it as perfect as possible, and not some cruddy three-year old's carving.

As they sat, Sokka decided to tell her all about Yue and their adventure at the North Pole. He told her about how he fell in love with her, and how they couldn't be together. He ended the story with Yue's sacrifice to become the moon spirit. It hurt to tell her, but she deserved to know.

Suki was silent for a moment. "You mean... that's why you always stare at the moon?"

Sokka nodded solemnly. He hoped she didn't hate him.

Her blue eyes stared up at him, smiling. "I understand. I'm glad you found love with her, and you may never feel the same for me, but..."

Sokka kissed her, silencing the girl. "You talk too much."

When they separated, after what felt like an eternity to Sokka, or no time at all—he didn't care—he whispered to her, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said.

Yue, watching them from the Spirit World, smiled.

* * *

Aang airbended himself up to a place high above everyone else, looking around for a certain person. He was crouched low, holding his staff out and using the rock to keep him from falling. He saw Sokka and Suki alone, but he did not want to disturb them. He saw all his other friends, doing their own things. But then he saw the person he originally came to seek out, sitting alone with her feet hanging over the cliffside.

Toph.

Her black bangs were ruffling in the wind, and Aang immediately noticed that she was depressed about something. It didn't take him long to figure out what.

"I know you're there," she said in a tone he definitely wasn't used to. The Avatar jumped down from his perch, landing gently next to her. He sat down.

"Toph... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ignored you."

"You... heard me?"

Aang nodded, but realized she couldn't see it. "Yes."

"Oh..."

"Toph?"

"What?"

"I like you... a lot," he said awkwardly, blushing.

"Oh yeah? What about Sugarqueen?"

"I barely feel it anymore... almost as if it isn't there. She is a lot like a sister to me. It took me too long to realize that. I'm sorry," he said, exhaling. He didn't realize it, but blood rose up into her cheeks.

"You're not lying." He could almost hear the smile in her voice.

"No, I'm not," he said, smiling too. His hand crossed the boundary between them, gently resting on hers. She edged closer to him, almost shyly. If it was any other situation, Aang would have laughed, but he edged closer to her. She looked up in the general direction of his face, and Aang looked down at her.

He decided to help her, reaching up and touching her face, and, holding his breath, he kissed her. It was a quick kiss, not much more than regular twelve-year olds did. Both of them blushed profusely, looking away from each other.

That night, Toph Bei Fong and Aang shared their first kiss ever.

* * *

"It's a little dangerous standing there," he said, walking up to her. Katara was standing dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, a part of land that protruded out from the rest of the pass. Zuko remembered a time, not too long ago, where the ground like this collapsed. "What are you doing?"

She turned to him with a smile. "Just thinking about the war."

"You always have been lately," Zuko said, a tiny red flame coming to life in his palm. It started dancing around his fingers.

"But I'm worried about everyone, you know?"

"I understand." He was staring at her, transfixed. The moonlight shone on her in a way that made her look very pretty. Her sapphire eyes were brighter than usual, twinkling at the perfect angle. Everything about her looked faultless... Her dirty peasant's clothes were completely ignored. She was fit to be a Princess.

"What are you looking at?" she asked him curiously.

"Ah... the ocean," he lied. True, the body of water behind her completed the image...

"It looks nice tonight," she said, turning to gaze at it again.

"The night is perfect," he said distractedly. He had a look reminiscent of the one he had the night he went to the Firelight Fountain with Jin. _Katara would have liked it, _he thought. _Maybe after the battle I can show her._

"You've really changed," she said after a while. "I would have never thought I'd be standing here with you."

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked, smirking.

"A good thing, definitely!" she responded quickly.

"I'm enjoying it too." He raised an eyebrow. He didn't mean to say that. Blue eyes met gold, and for a second, Katara seemed to be deciding something...

Someone suddenly came towards them, trying to contain his laughter. Zuko sighed. It was Kinto, the Waterbender. He found him slightly annoying.

"You just missed the most awesome thing!" he said, doubling over in laughter now. Katara raised an eyebrow. "I put water on _everyone_. It looks like they peed their pants! Boy, when they wake up in the morning, they'll sure be in for a surprise!"

"Oh, great joke," Katara said halfheartedly.

"You're a genius," Zuko said. Only Katara caught the sarcasm in his voice, and she laughed.

"Oh, boy. I love pranking people," the trickster said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Well, I guess I'll seeya in the morning."

"Bye," the two of them said together.

"We better get some rest," Katara said to Zuko. "We've got a long journey ahead of us."

* * *

The next morning, as predicted, many of the soldiers woke up looking extremely embarrassed, trying to hide something near their... private areas. The whole time, Kinto was snickering.

In about twenty minutes, Sokka knew they'd get to the huge gap in the pass. He was wondering how everyone would get across. He hoped Katara or Aang could come up with an idea. Would the earthbenders have to completely construct a new one, or a bridge of some sort?

Suddenly, Sokka bumped into the soldier in front of him. He tried going around the fat man, but he realized that everyone else stopped. What was going on? Then he heard a few hushed whispers about "Fire Navy ship," and "Don't let them see us!" Sokka grinned. He considered himself an expert at taking them down now.

"I'll take it down!" Sokka announced, flexing his muscles. "Easy work for me."

He pushed through to a gap in the stone, giving him a full view of the metal ship. The soldiers and rebels were crouched, trying to stay out of their view. Kinto the Waterbender stepped up, stretching. "I can handle it."

"What?" Sokka said, his voice cracking. Kinto jumped down into the water, causing a momentary crater in it, until it filled up and the waterbender emerged on a small pillar, riding up to the ship. He heard the distant shouts of Fire Nation soldiers.

"Come on, Sokka," Shuang said, who was standing next to him, Jin on his other side. "We should help him."

"Oh, alright," Sokka said, disgruntled. "Everyone else, go on without us. We'll catch up." He was surprised, because Aang and all of the other soldiers listened to his order, and they moved on. Shuang jumped into the water, followed by Sokka. Shuang rode an even smaller pillar of water to get to the ship (which now had jets of fire visible, going in every direction), but Sokka had to swim, muttering the whole way about "stupid magic water." He also figured the ship must have been a patrol boat from Ba Sing Se.

By the time he reached the ship, it was tilted on a column of ice, which burst through the hull. Water filled into the ship, and it was easy for Sokka to climb on since it began sinking. The first thing he saw was Shuang gaping at something, a look of terror on his face. "Hey Shuang, what're you looking—Oh, no..."

Kinto was somehow able to take down all of the firebenders himself... in all of the crude and bloodiest ways imaginable. Armored men were speared on javelins of ice, and some were completely frozen solid. One man seemed to have been stabbed through with multiple ice daggers, which protruded from his stomach, surprisingly scarlet blood dripping down it. It all looked like some horrifying red crystal. In the middle of it all, standing triumphant, was Kinto the Waterbender.

"What did you do?" Sokka asked angrily, looking around at them all.

"It's great, huh? Told ya I'm the best waterbender," he replied, smirking.

"You're a monster," Shuang said, regaining the use of his voice. "Nobody deserves to die like this."

"They're the Fire Nation, of course they do. I beat them, they deserved to die anyway."

"Wait a minute... you said you've been traveling around the world, fighting waterbenders... you don't mean...?" Sokka said, absolutely disgusted.

"Yes, Sokka. They weren't worthy of living if _I _could beat them. It's a dog-eat-dog world," Kinto explained, holding his arms out. It all seemed so _natural _to him.

"And you wanted to fight Aang and Katara!" Sokka exclaimed.

"What made you like this, Kinto? Back at home, you were always a prankster, but... Now you're a murderer!" Shuang yelled. "And I used to be _friends _with you!"

"Yes, yes. What a tragic childhood. Doesn't matter to me, though," Kinto said offhandedly. "What do you say to a two-on-one fight, right now?"

"Why were you banished, anyway?" Shuang asked him. He was shaking now. The boat was becoming more and more overflowed. They could feel it tilting sideways.

"Something to do with the murder of somebody..." Kinto said in deep thought, tapping his chin. "Ah, yeah. It was—"

"I don't want to know!" Shuang yelled, and a torrent of water rushed towards Kinto.

* * *

They were there, at the huge gap in the pass. Katara began separating the water again, ordering Aang, Toph, and Zuko to get in a single file line behind her.

"What are we doing, Sugarqueen?" Toph asked, in a noticeably better mood. "Do you _want _that serpent to come back?"

"Yup," Katara answered plainly. "We've got to make this path safe, don't we?"

"You mean... you want to fight it?" Aang asked. The waterbender nodded.

"You're crazy," Zuko said, looking all around at the water around them. It was such a weird thing. "Wait, I saw something."

And then they all saw it, the dark shape moving through the water. "Now what?" Toph asked.

"Do the same thing you did last time, quick!" Katara yelled, struggling against the serpent. Toph sighed, and a huge pillar of stone rose up and brought them all back to the surface. "Everyone else," Katara yelled back to the soldiers, "start reconstructing the pass!"

The dark shape moved in a figure eight through the two islands, emerging with a loud screech again. Katara courageously took to the water, trying to hold it in place with ice. Aang unfurled his glider and flew around it in the air, with Malu doing the same right after him. The two airbenders let out arcs of wind, hurting the creature but not permanently damaging it.

Toph and Zuko attacked it with boulders and flames, respectively, when it came near enough. Both made the creature screech loudly

Back on solid ground, Suki, Jin, and a few others felt completely useless. "I wonder who would win in a fight, this serpent or the Unagi?"

Ty Lee burst out laughing, but then stopped after a moment, asking, "What's the Unagi?"

Katara and Aang were able to work together and get the serpent stuck in a whirlpool again, slamming into the same spot it did before. Many of the people standing there staggered, but the earthbenders were able to unleash boulders.

Bahamut flew down to Zuko, waiting for him to mount the creature. He climbed on hastily, wanting to be more useful in this fight. Once they took to the air, both he and his dragon attacked the serpent with jets of flame.

* * *

Kinto blocked the attack, smirking widely. "You think you can beat a waterbending master?"

"Yes, especially one as corrupted as you!" Shuang retorted, freezing the torrents of water to cause as much pain to Kinto as he did to his victims. Daggers of ice suddenly came to life in the dark waterbender's hands, and both were flung at Shuang. He brought up a round shield of ice just in time.

Sokka rushed into the battle, yelling loudly at Kinto. He swung his machete, but Kinto simply ducked and a jet of water sent Sokka flying into the water. The ship was now halfway submerged, tilting at a dangerous angle. Sokka emerged from the water, flinging his boomerang and hitting him accurately on the head. Kinto growled, and at the same time Shuang successfully smacked him in the face with a water whip.

Kinto took the Water Tribe spear off of his back, and Sokka drew his machete again while Shuang used his club. They then fought in a three-man melee, swinging their weapons with near hits to critical areas. Kinto was able to block both of the smaller weapons with his spear.

"Sokka, go get help!" Shuang said through grit teeth, trying to hold off the spear.

"We can take him! It's two on one!"

"Just do it!"

"No!" Sokka yelled stubbornly. He drew his own club, smacking Kinto on the side of the head.

"Trying to play hero, Shuang?" Kinto asked, smirking. He sounded kind of tired. The corrupt waterbender pulled away his spear, jumping back and sending solidified water at Shuang. Sokka rushed to the offensive, swinging both of his weapons with astounding speed and force. Kinto warded off most of his blows with water, but Sokka landed many cuts and bruises on him. Kinto was distracted in a fierce duel with Sokka, so Shuang grasped this chance. He gathered as much water as he could, shooting it at Kinto with as much force as he could muster. It was the best bit of waterbending he had ever done in his life. It hit Kinto dead-on, and he fell in the water several yards away. Both Sokka and Shuang sighed with relief, knowing the murderer was probably dead. The two soon burst into an unexplainable laughing fit. They actually made a great team.

From then on, Sokka and Shuang became great friends.

"Good thing I still got this bison whistle," Sokka said, pulling it from a pocket. He blew on it, and Shuang stared disbelieving.

Both Appa and Yanna came soaring through the air towards them, picking them up and bringing them to another fight...

"Ugh, this thing _again_?" Sokka groaned.

"You've fought it before?" Shuang asked him.

"Yeah, but we didn't kill it. Let's help," Sokka said determinedly.

Appa flew right over the serpent's head, dropping the Water Tribe warrior right on it. The serpent didn't seem to notice, too focused on the other fights down below. Sokka held on tightly to whatever he could, at the same time admiring the green, gold, and blue scales.

Sokka crawled up to the serpent's face, hitting it in the eyes with his machete and club. The creature screamed in pain, which was the loudest yet. Several people had to cover their ears. Now blinded, the monster thrashed around recklessly.

He could see Jeong Jeong hurling flames, and Bumi and Haru throwing boulders at it from afar. Toph was even closer, hurling rock spikes at it. Katara worked to keep it from escaping, while Shuang was in the water using ice to his best advantage. Aang and Malu were still in the air, along with Zuko and Bahamut, throwing their respective elements at it. Nodoka was somehow able to leap onto it, and he was now stabbing it repeatedly with his metal spear.

Sokka grinned, finding a weak spot in the serpent's scales on its head. _Perfect, right by the brain,_ he thought with an almost childish enthusiasm. With all the strength he could gather, he stabbed it with his machete right in the weak spot. Taking enough pain, the monster finally fell with a loud _crash _against the water. Sokka couldn't help but feel how hard the serpent's scales were as he slammed against it, holding on for dear life.

More cheers went through the rebel soldiers—the loudest yet. Katara, Aang, and the others made their way back to the pass. Sokka, suddenly coming up with an idea, yelled to his sister.

"Katara! Hey, Katara! Use your waterbending to bring the serpent over to the shore! It's not that far away!" She stared at him disbelievingly, holding her hands on her hips. "Come on, Katara. Please?" He saw her sigh, and he grinned. She pushed the serpent over to the shore, as the soldiers walked along the path they made.

Within the hour, and Katara and the soldiers' constant bending, they finally made it to safe land. "Thanks, Katara," he said to his sister. She nearly collapsed on the ground.

They all planned to camp right there, since all of the soldiers refused to move. They had to camp maybe one more time until they got to Ba Sing Se. Sokka could already see the walls, which looked the same as ever. Now that they had some time, and the serpent's dead body was on the ground, he went over to the blacksmith in the army...

Meanwhile, Aang was staring at the Serpent's Pass, lost in thought. Toph walked up next to him.

"What're you doing, Twinkletoes?"

"It can't really be called the Serpent's Pass anymore, can it?"

"I guess not," she said, shrugging. "Pick a new name."

"Hm... It has to be something special, something important... Aha! I got it!" he stopped for dramatic effect. "The Pass of Hope!"

"Good one, Twinkletoes."

* * *

**Author's Note: Phew. Seventeen pages. I really, really liked this chapter :D It was fun to write. A lot went on in this chapter, so... lots of reviews? Please:)**

**We went through more character development, more romance, and more action. Pretty much what everyone wanted, right?**


	23. The Battle of Ba Sing Se

**Author's Note: I was torn between making this whole battle into one or two chapters. Originally it was two, but now it's only one longer chapter.**

**Thanks for all of your reviews guys! Unfortunately, I am feeling extremely lazy right now and I don't feel like listing you all by name XD Doesn't mean I don't appreciate them all, though!**

**Anonymous Review responses:**

**anonymus: Glad you like the story :D Sokka and Suki are one of the side ships, but I'll try putting them in more. Thanks for the review!**

**Pachysam 2: Wow, good to see you back! Haven't had one of your reviews in quite a long time. Anyways, whatever Sokka is doing with the blacksmith is a secret until later :)**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 23: The Battle of Ba Sing Se_

Ever since Katara's initial fear on Bahamut, she continued to sit right in front of Zuko, practically nestled in his arms. It became something that they always did. So when the group was all together again, Katara felt slightly torn between whom to sit with—Aang and the others on Appa, or Zuko on Bahamut. She eventually settled with Zuko, because he, as always, was all alone on his mount. This, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed by Sokka.

"What are you doing?" he snapped.

"Just sitting with Zuko. Is that a crime?" she retorted, patting the dragon's head.

"I don't approve of him!"

"_What_? You think we're... Sokka! We're just friends. And who gave you the rights to approve or not?" she yelled, infuriated.

Zuko, mounting Bahamut right behind her, felt a dull ache in his stomach at Katara's words. He ignored it.

Aang, who was getting ready to fly away on Appa, groaned. "Can't you two stop fighting for once?" Everyone, except perhaps Katara, noticed for the past day that Aang didn't seem jealous of Katara constantly being in Zuko's presence. At the moment, Toph was sitting right beside Aang on Appa's head, gripping the boy's arm.

Disgruntled, Katara folded her arms and began complaining to her friend. "The nerve of him! I can't believe Sokka sometimes. What if I didn't approve of Suki?"

"Calm down. He said himself that he did trust me to look after you," Zuko said to her as all three beasts took to the sky. He didn't think of his job as over, and he was prepared to look after the girl during the war... and perhaps beyond. He took personal tasks very seriously, once he had something to work for. It felt great.

It took about a day for the soldiers to travel on foot to the Impenetrable city from there. When they landed, it was pretty much constant training. Aang, as always, trained Malu when they were in the air, but when he was on the ground both Toph and Zuko kept him working. He barely had time to practice with Katara anymore. On the other hand, Shuang was progressing rapidly under Katara's tutelage, excelling mostly in ice-based attacks. He would be nearing mastery very soon.

Haru, not wanting to feel left behind, trained with Bumi as Toph was teaching Aang. His determination to be as good as everyone else brought him up almost on level with Aang. Of course, Toph taught him aggressively beforehand, and Shuang was previously taught under Aang for a while, so they had a lot of time for improvement. They all just prayed that it was enough.

When Zuko finally laid his eyes on the wall again, he noticed a light drizzle. The skies were grey with clouds, and there was an air of great foreboding. This battle would be bloody.

As they got closer, Zuko was able to see the individual soldiers stationed as guards on the wall. Many were pointing at them in alarm. When they were close enough to see the skeletal helms, about fifty soldiers were lined up, ready to defend their conquered city. More and more were approaching.

Bahamut sped up to them like a bullet, blowing golden flames at the soldiers. Their screams of terror at seeing a beast of legend were oddly satisfying. Those that escaped harm shot their own fireballs at Bahamut and the soldiers below, only to be blocked by Aang as he stopped each one below. Bahamut's scales alone protected him from harm.

Bahamut and Yanna were attacking the soldiers on the wall, but Appa was down with the soldiers, helping them clear a hole through the wall. They were using the old drill (that was _still _never cleaned up) to their advantage—just making the hole that it left wider. Aang and Toph jumped off of the bison, aiding the earthbenders.

The sky was pouring out water now, completely drenching everyone and everything. The clouds made the sky dark, and only by the light of Bahamut's flames did he see the massed soldiers in the fields below, ready to attack the rebels that came through. The top of the wall was cleared in a matter of minutes, and the dragon and female bison were swooping down into the Fire soldiers' ranks, causing as much chaos as they could. Bahamut spewed flames, pausing only to strike with his claws or teeth. Zuko added to these fires, but also stopped occasionally to dissipate enemy blazes to protect himself, Katara, and Bahamut. Katara gracefully jumped off of the dragon, using the water all around her to her best advantage. It was as if she was in the ocean as she used puddles and the rain itself to get rid of her foes.

The three were not alone, however. Malu and Yanna worked together to strike fireballs out of the air and fight off many of the soldiers. Shuang followed Katara's example, adding ice to the mix. Rain drops were turned into sharp icicles, piercing their armor but not permanently injuring them. Haru seemed to be protecting... Malu? Zuko ignored it for now, parrying a spear that was meant for Katara.

Mai, Ty Lee, Keioushi, and Nodoka were also members of Yanna's little party. The four of them did as much damage as any bender could, possibly more. They were masters of their professions, and many fell by their weapons... and hands. Jin fought by her boyfriend, Shuang, her katana slicing in all directions. She had been practicing too, and numerous soldiers were beginning to fear the petite girl.

As much damage as they were doing, the group of them were unable to advance through the empty fields anymore; their only disadvantage was their numbers.

Finally, that situation was remedied as the rebel and Omashu army burst through the walls, Aang and Toph in the lead. Sokka, Suki, Song, and Appa came right after them. Soon, the Fire Nation army was getting overwhelmed, and they were being backed into the city.

Zuko put on a mask of determination, but inside, he was terrified. Once they got all the way to the Palace, he knew he'd have to fight his devious sister. Perhaps it would even be to the death. She wouldn't mind, and if that was the case, then he wouldn't, either.

* * *

"_No, stop!" the girl shouted. She was still young and helpless. She could do nothing to help her mother._

_The blue dragon was there, tossing her mother's unconscious form up into the air, catching the woman in its claws. He seemed to be playing with her and the little girl, pretending to snap at Ursa as she fell. Once he even caught her in his mouth. Little Azula let out a scream of fright. It was horrible, she just wanted it to end...! It all felt like it was her fault._

_It felt as if her voice was gone as she screamed again, this time feeling as if the blue dragon would really eat her mother... the red dragon was nowhere in sight..._

_As the evil dragon's jaws snapped closed, the scene changed. She saw herself again, even younger this time, sitting in her mother's lap as she read her a story. She played with a unicorn and a dragon toy as her mother read her favorite storybook. Both were smiling and laughing._

_The scene misted over again as she saw an older Azula, burning a present from her Uncle... And finally, she was an adult, sitting on the Fire Nation throne, all alone and wailing in agony... Why? Why?!_

_

* * *

_

She woke up with a start, sweat beading down her face. That was the worst nightmare yet. Every night now, they plagued her dreams, and every night, Jet was there beside her. But tonight... he was missing. Where was he? She felt all alone again, just like in her dream... Loneliness was then replaced by overwhelming guilt at her actions in the past as she gazed at the dying campfire.

* * *

He punched the side of the tree as he walked by it in anger. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting like this? He should never feel this way about a Fire Nation girl. It was unacceptable. They killed his family!

But that all melted away whenever he was around Azula. He felt pity towards her at first, mixed with hatred. But then he found himself unable to feel hatred towards her. She was a misguided person, like Iroh said. She couldn't help it—she was raised like the way she was. She was hated and scorned among their nation, and Jet felt the need to help her come to their side. Iroh seemed convinced that it was possible.

He couldn't hate her because of her blood. He'd be such a filthy hypocrite if he did. Back when he was younger, and his parents were alive, he was scorned by the other villagers. They kept their children away from him, as if he was some ravenous animal. He grew up with very little friends. He was an outcast. He didn't find out why until days before his parents' deaths.

His father, it seemed, came from a disrespectable family. His own father became a traitor to the Earth Kingdom, giving crucial information to the Fire Nation in exchange for his own safety. A whole village was wiped out because of him. The people of his own village turned on him and killed him, having family that was killed in the raid. Their hatred passed on to Jet's father, and then to Jet himself. That was why Jet hated selfish people; people who would have others die just to save their own skins!

The Freedom Fighter snarled, kicking at the ground in fury. He was on a vacant path back to their campsite, coming from a village where he went to restock their supplies. He was completely torn between Azula and his hatred for her people. He constantly tried balancing it out, thinking that she had it in her to change. She was strong, she was smart, and she was beautiful. He loved when her golden eyes glinted mischievously before she made snide remarks about his hygiene. He loved when the two of them got moments only with each other, even though there was a constant conflict and tension in the air. He loved being by her side, helping her get through her nightmares.

Oh, and she was funny, too.

* * *

The fighting continued. The Fire Nation Army was being pushed back constantly. They fought on all kinds of terrain. On the tops of hills, the Fire Nation had an advantage, until they were pushed back with some difficulty. Then the advantage passed over to the rebel armies...

There were heavy casualties on both sides, but Zuko felt like it was just a small taste of what was to come. The numbers they faced where nowhere near what the Fire Nation normally used for all-out wars. Either the army was running low on soldiers, or they had many more in the city. Zuko doubted it was the former; the Fire Nation was fairly overpopulated, and that was part of the reason why they invaded the other Nations in the first place.

Katara remained by his side the whole battle, and they fought to keep each other alive. He wondered why she didn't fight with the Avatar or her brother. The whole time it continued to rain; washing away the blood—theirs and the enemy's—the sweat, and the tears. Zuko was thankful for the rain. It also washed away the smell of carnage.

After a while, they came to a river. Finally, the Fire Nation soldiers retreated. On the other side, a good distance away, they made camp. The Avatar's Army did the same. Zuko was glad. He was tired, from swinging his swords and using so much firebending. But mostly he was tired of killing.

He found himself not able to sleep. Nobody could. The ground was too wet, even though it finally stopped raining. The clouds remained in the sky, blocking out the sun. It was as if the sky reflected on the moods of everyone below it.

He didn't notice it before, but now he saw Qi Yi walking around, administering the army himself. The man didn't come to the fight at Omashu. Zuko wondered how he got there. He knew that Ursa did not battle, and he was glad of that. He didn't want to lose her again. Yes, she was safe in Jihen. Master Qi Yi was now speaking with the Avatar and a few others of their group clustered around him. Zuko couldn't find the will to go over. He was too tired at the moment. Katara stood next to him, probably thinking the same thing.

Suddenly, she started crying. Zuko's eyes widened.

"What—?"

"I—I'm cold..." she stammered quickly, unexpectedly putting her arms around him and digging her head into his shoulder. The firebender was confused, his arms hanging limply at his sides. "So much killing..." he heard her say. He had no idea what to do. He never comforted someone before. So he was silent. But he didn't understand how hugging him would keep her warm, since he was so wet... So, he made his body heat higher. It was an ability most skilled firebenders had.

She sniffled into his shoulder. "Their faces... it was terrible." She was shaking now. Zuko understood. Many of the soldiers looked at him in fear before they died. "I've... never killed so many..." she barely whispered, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. He put his arms around her. It seemed like the right thing to do. A few minutes passed in silence, and soon her shaking died down.

Qi Yi continued to talk to Aang and the others, and they were all nodding solemnly. He had never seen Ty Lee so serious. It must have been important. "We should go over there," Zuko finally said. "They are talking about something important."

"Not yet... Let's stay like this... please..." she whispered, holding him tighter. "Just a little longer."

Zuko nodded.

After a while, Suki came over and called Katara. The wounded needed healing. She reluctantly left, turning to Zuko once more. "Thanks... for being there." He simply nodded again.

People were going around counting those still alive. They came with a little over five thousand people, but after the first part of the battle, they were down to a little less than four thousand. The other side probably had more casualties.

The firebender walked over to the river. Now that he thought about it, it probably came from Lake Laogai. He watched the enemy army on the other side, probably doing the same that they were. Since they were assembled before the Avatar Army even entered the Outer Wall, he figured that they must have been ready, receiving news about Omashu quickly. He kicked a stone into the water in anger. As he did this, he saw something in the wide river... very close to their side of the bank. There was something caught on another rock... something he knew... something he now feared.

It was his Blue Spirit mask. Slowly, he picked it up out of the water. It had definitely been in a better condition. The wood was waterlogged, the paint was peeling, and the ribbons that would hold it to his head were gone. One sharp fang was missing. The surface was slippery with algae.

It was the last remnant of his old life (excluding his mother) that he thought he got rid of. Like everything else he hated, it came back to him. Furious, he snapped it clean in half, and burned the two pieces to ashes. He wanted them gone. He was a changed man.

It made him think of Iroh, still held in the Ba Sing Se prisons. As soon as he dealt with his sister, he would go rescue his Uncle.

* * *

It was raining. All six of them were chilled to the bone. Jet felt bad for Kei in his armor. But it was Iroh who looked the worst of them all.

"It seems my age is catching up to me. The elderly are not meant to be in a cold rain," he said, hugging his arms. "Let's find shelter."

"We've been looking," Jet said, irritated. When the man was uncomfortable, he complained a lot.

"I can't believe you only have one tent," Azula said sharply, equally irritated. Now that Jet thought of it, they never even bothered packing one; only Smellerbee did. He was used to sleeping outside, under the stars. Last time he slept in shelter was in Ba Sing Se, and before that, their treehouses, and that was only sometimes. Usually Smellerbee was the only one who slept in the tent, because it was much too small for two people. And it only started to rain as they traveled, and Jet was determined to get to the next city.

The day before, he heard of a town called Jihen. It was a large rebel city, and they were the only ones left to be able to do something effective against the Fire Nation. Rumor had it that they were building an army. Jet was willing to place bets that Aang was there.

"Jihen should be close," Kei reassured them. He was the last one to look at the map before it started raining.

Sure enough, the wooden city opened up into view as they emerged from the forest path. They passed quickly through the wooden walls, unsurprised to see the streets deserted. They were running now, trying to find an inn or some kind of tavern. Azula looked awkward running with an arm in a sling and the other very stiff. Soon enough, Jet knew, both of her arms would be healed. He didn't know what would happen.

Some kind of Earth Kingdom guard, fully decked in armor and a traveling cloak, stopped them, holding out his spear and eyeing them suspiciously. "Who are you?" he shouted over the rain.

"Weary travelers. We have a sick person with us," Jet shouted back, gesturing to Iroh.

"Who is he?" the soldier asked, pointing his weapon at Kei. Jet's eyes widened. He was so used to having Kei in their company, he completely forgot that he was a Fire Nation soldier—and he was wearing the armor.

"I deserted my army," the ex-soldier said. "I am now considered a fugitive, and I am helping these people. They are my friends."

The Earth Kingdom soldier straightened. "Very well, come with me." He led them down a few roads, stopping at what was obviously an inn. They all stepped inside, basking in the warm atmosphere. Jet shook his head like a dog, getting water all over everyone else. Smellerbee did the same back to him in retaliation.

"What is your business here?" the soldier asked them.

Jet answered, "We want to join the rebellion. We are friends of the Avatar, and we want to help." As soon as he said 'rebellion,' many quiet whispers went through all of the inn's guests, which was a pub on the bottom floor. His words were starting to feel extremely repetitive.

"Stay here. Get food and drink. I will be back," the soldier said, lifting his hood and going back into the storm.

"Are they planning to ambush us?" Azula asked, as if the idea didn't bother her at all.

"I don't think so," Iroh said, walking to get food. "He is probably getting someone to help us."

"Doesn't matter to me," Jet said carelessly. "I'm hungry."

* * *

Zuko was surprised. Both Katara and Song went around, healing Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom soldiers alike. The Fire Nation soldiers looked confused, unused to such generosity. Several joined the ranks of their army. Others fled.

Every single person was assembled in front of Qi Yi. Many were expecting a speech, and they weren't disappointed. The leader of the rebellion started off slowly. "In the past few days, many lives were lost in the struggle to take back our Nation. Their lives were not lost in vain. Many brave fighters fought to protect their homes and their families. Now, we shall honor them." There was a moment of silence. "It will soon be time to fight again. The moment is here. Fight your hardest, instill fear into your enemies! Take back what is ours! Fight with honor!" he shouted, holding up his weapon—a great war-axe. Every single person cheered, including the converted soldiers, holding their weapons in the air. Aang and Bumi stood next to Qi Yi, cheering along with everyone else. When everyone quieted down, the rebel leader spoke again. "The Avatar and his friends will be the ones to end this. Their job is to fight their way to the Palace, get rid of the cursed Princess, and take back our city! The Earth Kingdom's highest Generals will be freed from their prisons. Now go, fight on! End this war!"

Everyone cheered, rushing over to the river, weapons brandished. Earthbenders made bridges across, the three waterbenders parted the river. Some stampeded through, ignoring the raging waters threatening to take them off their feet.

Jets of fire met them on the other side, so Zuko, Jeong Jeong, and Aang led the way, holding the flames at bay. Zuko snarled as he held out his hand, trying to push it back to its source. His Earth Kingdom robes began smoking. The earthbenders came after them, using blocks of stone to push the fires back. Using the river, Katara doused much of them.

Malu went and attacked the sources. She flicked open her staff, then glided over to the firebenders, loosing arcs of air that threw them off their feet. Nodoka and Keioushi battled bravely, slamming many more soldiers to the ground.

Song's slingshot did a lot of unexpected damage. Havoc ensued when an invisible gas exploded from the tiny black balls. It seemed to addle with their brains—or perhaps show them sense—as the enemy soldiers fought anyone close to them aggressively, including their own men. Sokka and Suki were teamed up. The Kyoshi Warrior disarmed them, while her boyfriend easily dispatched his weaponless foes.

Toph, Haru, Bumi, and Aang were bending all over the place, layers of rock and boulders were flying everywhere. They all fought their way to the first inner wall, passing a small zoo, where the earthbenders easily opened the gates. They marched through town as many Fire Nation soldiers retreated to the Palace, hoping to make their last stand there. Townspeople either hid inside their homes or joined the army, wielding an assortment of weapons. Zuko saw one man holding a pitchfork, and his wife, cleavers.

Zuko now realized why they were winning so easily. None of their enemy was disciplined. They were severely unorganized, and their only advantage (at first) was their numbers.

As they fought through the city streets, gaining numbers rapidly, the enclosed space opened up into a round area. Zuko was able to see over everyone's heads. They came to the Firelight Fountain, where the soldiers tried to barricade them from going any further. Flaming arrows shot at them from behind it, but Katara, Aang, and Shuang bended the water from the fountain to form a protective shield over them all. Now protected from the aerial onslaught, the earthbenders and small numbers of firebenders rushed up to destroy the barricade. Zuko saw Jin hacking away at the wood angrily, probably upset at being in her former home.

Once they got through, it seemed that the soldiers behind it fled. The Avatar Army marched on, entering the Middle Ring after a while, and eventually the Upper Ring. They easily fought some scattered divisions of soldiers, but when they reached the Palace, many jaws dropped.

All of the Dai Li were standing in front of the Palace, accompanied by the remainder of the Fire Nation soldiers. Also standing with them were men in red masks that looked eerily similar to Zuko's Blue Spirit mask. They wore blood red or black robes. Zuko knew what they were.

They were the Dai Li of the Fire Nation—the Blaze Brigade. An elite team of firebenders, they protected the Palace from assassins, but did little else. They were meant to inflict fear on the people with their masks. Being the Fire Prince, Zuko ran into them many times, and he had nightmares about them when he was young. He wondered why they were here, in an Earth Kingdom city.

The Army of the Avatar stood waiting in the huge space in front of the Palace, wanting to see what would happen. The Blaze Brigade, it seemed, had control over the soldiers, who were the first to rush out. They charged them head-on, meeting them somewhere in the middle. The soldiers were easily outnumbered, but Zuko saw the Dai Li coming on their left side and the Blaze Brigade on their right. Zuko scowled. The soldiers were a distraction. It seemed the Fire Nation didn't let go of old habits.

Zuko and Katara stayed close to Aang and his multitude of friends. Aang, Toph, and Haru pushed through the soldiers, acting like true earthbenders to be the first to clear the path. A whip of fire materialized in Zuko's hands that swung at the soldiers they missed, and Katara did the same with her water. The ones with close-combat weapons flanked them on the sides, slashing at any offending soldiers.

Half of the Dai Li and Blaze Brigade realized what they were doing, however, and rushed to follow them. Blocks of stone and large fireballs shot from their hands assaulted them on both sides, which were blocked by Toph and Aang.

"Just like old times," the blind girl muttered. Aang, a serious look on his face, nodded. He slammed his staff on the ground, which caused layers of rock to throw away several of the Dai Li. Malu used bursts of air to send both bending enemies flying, while Mai easily flicked knives at them. Her amazing aim hit them perfectly, even as she ran.

The Blaze Brigade was equally as deadly as the Dai Li. What was odd about the two groups was that they acted opposite of what they should have acted. The Dai Li were precise and deadly, like firebenders were supposed to be, but the Blaze Brigade used a _lot _of flame. Huge fireballs came from each of their hands like cannons, stopped only by Zuko or the earthbenders in their group.

Song's sleeping gas was once again useful, Ty Lee knocked many benders to the ground, and Keioushi knocked out men with one punch each, but they still advanced to the Palace slowly. Zuko wondered why Azula didn't come out yet.

When they finally reached the base of the Palace, more and more Dai Li and Blaze Brigade members rushed at them from above, but Katara easily dealt with them. The water around the Palace was used to her advantage, as streams went through the air and pulled several men off their feet. Aang used a combination of air, earth, and water to push them into the moat, while Shuang froze it over, trapping them inside.

"How are we going to get up the stairs?" Jin shouted worriedly.

"Just go, I'll cover you guys!" Toph yelled, destroying a block of stone that flew at her. Zuko ran up the stairs first, arcs of flame causing Blaze Brigade members to fall. Every few seconds, pillars of stone jutted out of the stairs, almost making Zuko fall down as he dodged them. Aang and Malu reached the top with no problem, fighting off the enemies that delayed their friends. Sokka's boomerang dealt with the Dai Li sticking to the pillars behind Aang and Malu who were sneaking up to attack them.

Haru and Suki reached the top next, the former using a block of stone to push more away as Suki ducked between jets of fire, running up and jabbing them in the shoulders with their fans. Her foot swept out and knocked them off-balance.

The fifteen friends rushed into the Palace, continuously fighting off anyone in their way. The Throne Room was just ahead of them, and once again, Aang and Toph destroyed the gigantic, ornate doors. They all filed in, with Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph in the lead. The original four held out their weapons, while Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and Nodoka watched for an attack from behind, expressionless.

Standing in front of them was about ten of the Dai Li and Blaze Brigade. They stood motionless. The throne was empty.

"Where's Azula?" Aang said sternly to them.

"The Princess Azula left the Palace weeks ago," one of the Dai Li said. "She brought General Iroh with her, and now they are missing."

Zuko straightened, looking at them and listening to what they were saying. Azula and Iroh were gone?

"Ba Sing Se is ours," Katara said, determined. The man smirked.

"Not quite," he said.

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked, straightening. He looked confused.

"You will protect this Palace. Fight off those filthy rebels," a Blaze Brigade man said offhandedly.

"In your dreams!" Toph yelled, a boulder in the air in front of her.

"As you wish. Our guests will be killed, then," the original Dai Li member said.

"What do you mean?" Ty Lee asked, her hands on her hips. She looked as confused as Sokka.

"They're hostages, really," the Blaze Brigade man said, in a tone much used by Azula. "If you fight off your own people, then they will not be harmed."

"Who are they?" Shuang asked nervously.

"Which one of you... is of the Bei Fong family?" the Dai Li man asked in a sadistic tone.

"What did you do to them?" Toph suddenly demanded, outraged. "How'd you know I was with the Avatar?"

"Long Feng's orders. It was easy to figure out that you were their daughter, since you constantly flaunted their seal everywhere."

"I didn't _flaunt _it!" Toph protested.

"They were captured as a means to stop the Avatar, if he ever invaded. We knew that he and his _noble _friends would never let harm come to Earth Kingdom nobles," a B.B. man said, smirking widely. "It was all Long Feng's idea."

"You're lying! Toph, don't listen to them!" Suki yelled to the girl, holding her fans high.

"No, they're not. Where are they?" Toph demanded.

"Protect the Palace and we may just let them free. Fight against us, and they die." Everyone was silent. They knew this was too easy. This was their trump card. Mai was the first to walk outside, followed by Ty Lee and then Keioushi, and then all of the others followed, looking defeated. Once they came to the outer hallway, Toph stopped.

"You guys go. Just stall. I'm helping my parents," she declared, turning to go in another direction.

"Toph, wait!" Aang said, causing her to stop. "I'll help you!"

"No way, Twinkletoes. I'm doing this alone."

* * *

After they were sufficiently filled up, a cloaked man came over to them, introducing himself as Dizi.

"You want to join the rebellion?" he whispered, leaning in close to Jet.

"Yes," he answered resolutely. Iroh began coughing again. Ever since they got to the inn, the old man started having coughing fits.

"What about him? He's sick," Dizi pointed out.

"Yes, we know. We'll get him cared for when we get to the rebellion's headquarters," Jet said. Dizi nodded, walking outside. They all followed, even Azula. She seemed curious.

The odd man led them through crisscrossing alleyways. Jet was relieved that the raining stopped, but many people looked at them curiously as they walked past. Eventually, they stopped at a small hut, and Dizi let them inside.

"Welcome to my home. Now, all of you please stand in the center of the room," he said. They all look confused at this weird request, but complied. Dust suddenly rose in a wide circle around them, and it suddenly descended into the ground.

"Interesting," Azula mused. She seemed to be filing the information away for later use. Jet didn't know if it was a good idea to bring Azula down to the rebels... she _did _take over Ba Sing Se. But then again, she was a lot better than she was when they first met her.

"Our leader isn't here at the moment. All of the rebels just fought in Omashu, and they claimed the city back. Around now they should be fighting in Ba Sing Se, I think..." Dizi said, lost in thought. "Oh yes, and the Avatar and his friends are with them."

Jet inwardly smiled. They would find Aang and Katara and the others soon. "Here we are," Dizi said, and in front of them, the wall opened up, revealing a giant underground chamber. Only Jet, Azula, and Longshot looked disinterested.

"Wow..." Smellerbee and Kei said.

"There's only one other General still here besides me, but we're still recruiting. Oh, there's the other General now. Lady Ursa!" Dizi shouted, waving. A beautiful woman in black and gold robes turned to Dizi, smiling. She had a pale face and long hair, but she had a strong will behind her golden eyes. Golden eyes that looked suspiciously like Azula's...

Jet turned to look at her, but was surprised. Usually, the Princess looked almost bored when she was with them, but now there was a lot of shock and a little fear evident on her face. She stepped back, bewildered.

"Mo—Mom!?"

* * *

Toph rushed through the many hallways, sending vibrations through the walls to try and feel for her parents. Any Dai Li or Blaze Brigade were pushed out of her away by blocks of stone. She felt around for the dungeons, knowing they'd probably be somewhere down there. And she knew where the dungeons were.

Unsurprisingly, a number of Dai Li agents were guarding the dungeons. Their rock hands flew through the air towards her, but thin stone fanned in front of her and deflected each of their blows. She thrust out her hand then moved it abruptly to the side, causing a wave of earth to push most of them into the wall where they fell unconscious.

"Who's next?" she challenged, getting into a stance. She rode her own earth wave, barreling through them. As she entered the metallic dungeons, she felt who was inside each cell as she passed. Feeling someone she recognized, she ripped the door off its hinges and threw it at her pursuing Dai Li agents. A painful and metallic _clang _told her that it was a direct hit. The General that she rescued looked completely shocked, but ran alongside her. As she ran down, she ripped more metal doors out and continuously threw them at the Dai Li, now joined by Blaze Brigade agents. Jets of fire and... metal links... flew at her, but a thin piece of metal blocked it all. _Since when could the Dai Li bend metal? _She was angry. She was supposed to be the only one that could do that.

Once all five of the Earth Kingdom Generals were freed, Toph began searching for her parents again. She felt familiar vibrations a few cells down, and without pausing, she ran for them. Once again, she ripped the door off and threw it at the last of the Dai Li and Blaze Brigade.

"Toph?" her father asked. Both of their vibrations were scared and just a little bit angry.

"Yeah. Come on," she said, turning to leave.

"Did they capture you too?" her mother asked. Toph sighed. That was such a stupid question.

"No, I'm rescuing you. Now come on!" she urged them. Her mother suddenly rushed up and hugged her.

"Oh, Toph! I've been so worried! What did the Avatar do to you? Are you alright?"

"What are you talking about?" Toph asked, struggling to push her worried mother away.

"The Avatar kidnapped you!" her father said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"_What_!?" she shrieked. "I joined them willingly!"

"Can't we talk later?" General Hao asked fearfully. "There should be more Dai Li and Blaze Brigade agents coming soon!"

"Mom, Dad, let's go!" Toph yelled to her parents. They reluctantly followed. The eight of them ran out of the Palace, and to her parents' astonishment, Toph easily fought their attackers with both earth and metal. Luckily, the five Generals weren't dead weight. They helped her fight.

Once they got outside, Toph noticed Aang and the others fighting Earth Kingdom and rebel troops reluctantly. They definitely weren't fighting their hardest. Most of the soldiers were afraid of them, and avoided attacking back. None of the Avatar Gang were killing or injuring.

Toph used to giant blocks of stone to knock away Fire Nation troops, letting them know she was back. Aang's face brightened and everyone immediately turned to fight off the Dai Li and Blaze Brigade again. The battle was over in minutes as the Army of the Avatar attacked furiously, knowing the Dai Li's trick to get Aang to fight against them.

Soldiers lay dead, but most of the Dai Li and Blaze Brigade were simply incapacitated.

"Toph, we want you to tell us everything," her father said, as the two of them came out of their hiding place.

"I joined Aang and the others willingly. You weren't giving me enough freedom. I wanted to help by teaching him earthbending so he can save the world," she said in a monotone voice. She was dreading their reactions, but she didn't dare tell them about Aang being her first boyfriend. "Can't you see? I'm strong enough to not have to be protected by you. Everything's alright. I fought in _two wars_ already. I beat the King of Omashu in a duel. I'm the best earthbender in the world!"

"Toph... Just come home with us, where you can be safe," her father begged.

"No way! I like being with them! I like traveling around the world! For once, I have _friends_!" she shouted at them. Everyone around them watched.

"Toph, I order you to come home now!" her father demanded, angered. Toph looked just as angry, but before anything else could happen, her mother put a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"She's right. Toph is free, and she's in good hands. Let's let her go. Toph, I am so proud of you," her mother said, teary-eyed. Toph also began tearing, but she ran up and hugged her mother. Finally, her father consented, putting his arms around the two of them. Toph, in her mother's arms, vowed to make Long Feng pay.

* * *

Ursa looked just as shocked as Azula did. The older woman was speechless. Millions of things were running through Azula's head, but she could only say one thing.

"I'm sorry!" In an anguished cry, she fell to her knees, shaking with sobs. Her mother gasped, running over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"There, there..." she muttered, comforting her daughter. Azula flinched at the touch, but let her mother hug her. It felt nice to be comforted in her mother's embrace.

"I thought you were dead!" Azula cried. "I'm sorry! I've been so... terrible to you..." It felt even better to get it off of her chest. She didn't care that so many women and children were watching her. She didn't care about Jet and the other's shocked looks. She wasn't ashamed at all.

"It's okay, I forgive you," Ursa said, tears falling from her eyes as the two of them rocked. Ursa hadn't done this with her for over ten years... But when she said that, it felt like an enormous weight was lifted from Azula's heart.

Iroh watched silently, letting them have their moment. He smiled widely as tears trickled down his cheeks, sniffling. He felt satisfied with Azula. She was also seeing the right path in life, and Iroh had the faint suspicion that she would follow it.

Several minutes passed, until Azula sniffled, wiping the tears off of her face. It hurt very little to move her arms now. But she stayed there in her mother's arms.

"All better now?" Ursa looked at her, smiling. Azula couldn't help but smile back. It was a genuine, happy smile.

"Yes," her daughter answered, getting to her feet. "Better than I've felt in years."

Ursa finally turned to look at the rest of them. Her eyes brightened when she saw Iroh. "Uncle Iroh! How nice to see you!"

"Ursa, it is a pleasure to see you alive and well," he said jovially, going to hug her. The old man got another coughing fit, and Ursa looked concerned.

"You need some rest," she said to him. He nodded, holding a fist to his mouth and coughing again. "And who are you four?" she asked the others.

"I'm Jet, a Freedom Fighter."

"Smellerbee, and this is Longshot."

"Lady Ursa, it is an honor. I am Kei," the ex-soldier said, bowing.

"You are from the Fire Nation?" she asked him.

"Yes, but I'm not in their army anymore. I joined their group not long ago. I plan to help them and the Avatar."

"What about you, Azula?" Iroh asked once he stopped coughing. Ursa picked up the hint, staring at her daughter inquisitively.

"I... don't know," she said quietly, staring at the ground. "I have to think."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hm, thought that would be a good place to end the chapter. I actually liked this one, but sorry it took so long to come out! I have a number of excuses, some good and some bad. I just found out the other day that I have a huge report due on the first day of school, less than a week from today, for my advanced placement class. That means it's hard, lol, and I am not looking forward to finishing it. My other excuse is a bit of laziness, but my **_**other **_**one is that this chapter was very hard to write. It took me quite a few days to actually finish it. Once again, I apologize for getting it out later than I usually do!**

**Oh, about Azula, don't worry. She seems a bit out of character here, but she'll be back to normal. She's not going to be a goodie-goodie. She's going to have the same personality as before, just without the cruelty :)**

**Hah, and before anyone asks (or yells, whatever you prefer) the Dai Li **_**can **_**bend metal! Most people missed this, but they did it while they were capturing the Generals as they helped Azula take over Ba Sing Se. My brother argues against this, thinking they just threw those chains at the Generals, but watch closely, and you can tell they're bending.**

**Next chapter will be out much sooner! Please leave a review!**


	24. The Road to Redemption

**Author's Notes: Sorry that this chapter took a little while to come out. It's only the second day of school and I have a ton of homework.**

**Thanks to all you awesome reviewers :D**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 24: The Road to Redemption_

The next day, after a lot of rest, Azula woke feeling slightly afraid. She had another nightmare about the blue dragon scorching Zuko, turning him completely to ash. _That was a first_, she thought. For the first time in weeks, she thought about her brother. Did he know their mother was still alive?

Azula and the others went to bed almost right after they got to the rebellion's headquarters, so she didn't have a chance to speak with Ursa. She felt that today would be the day, and she was dreading it. What would happen? Would she be disappointed? She stretched her arms, realizing that her right shoulder no longer hurt when she moved it. She slowly unwound the bandage. The skin was pink and puffy—signs that it finally finished healing. Elated, she opened her palm where a blue flame came to life. She could bend again. In a few days, her left wrist would be okay, and she'd have full use of both of her arms. She clutched the flame in her hand, killing it.

After cleaning up, the Princess was expecting Earth Kingdom clothing, but was surprised to see Fire robes neatly folded on her dresser. She held them up, eyes widening. They were fit for Fire Nation royalty, but at the same time combat-proficient. It was actually a yukata, she noted, thin but strong. It was a deep red, with a white floral pattern starting at the legs and going up to the chest. A yukata was very much like a kimono, except that it had legs instead of one solid bottom. The shoulders and pointed cuffs were black, but she could see thin golden threads running through the floral pattern and golden embroidery on her shoulders and cuffs.

Putting it on, she was also surprised to see that it not only fit her, but accentuated her curves well, hugging her slender body. There was a corset around her midsection, not too tight but oddly comfortable. With another start, she realized it must have been her mother's at one point. She moved around a little bit, appreciating how well it fit. It moved along with her, allowing her to bend, twist, or crouch. She smirked, leaving the dull, rocky room.

* * *

Ty Lee sighed, for once feeling a little down. The war did more than take a lot of energy out of them all; it put everyone in a bad mood. They felt hardened, mature—as if while killing, they threw away part of their childhood. Which they pretty much did. It made most of them realize that they were just kids, and war wasn't a place for them. It put a darker shade on everything, because they knew they had to keep on fighting. Their only other option was dying. Each of them (with the possible exception of Nodoka, Keioushi, Suki, Malu, and Song) were wanted people. The Fire Nation, and most likely Azula, would keep chasing them down until they were dead.

So, as you can imagine, it put a damper on their spirits.

On top of all that, they were on their way to the Fire Nation _right now_. After Ba Sing Se was freed, they realized that the Solar Eclipse was just in two weeks. Toph left before her worried parents could have second thoughts. Now they were over the expansive ocean, while Aang and Malu were worried about their bison. They needed somewhere, _anywhere_, to land soon, because the three creatures couldn't go for so long without resting, especially with this many people on them.

Everyone with good eyes was searching for an island of any type, because there was no such thing on their map. If they couldn't find anything, they would have to camp out on the _ocean_, all cramped on Appa, Yanna, or Bahamut. Who knew what sorts of creatures lived in the ocean? Ty Lee got chills up her spine. She didn't want to find out.

She was hanging off of Yanna, her feet hooked around the bison's saddle. She was squinting madly, trying to find a strip of land. She scanned the ocean... _Water... Water... Water... Docks... Water... Wait! Docks?!_

"I see something!" she yelled, pointing. Everyone grew excited as Aang, Malu, and Zuko turned their respective steeds around, heading toward the island in the middle of the ocean. She smiled happily as she was able to see a narrow strip of sand, which meant one thing—a beach! She turned right-side up, momentarily pausing since her head got all fuzzy and her ears started ringing. Once that cleared, she grinned.

As they neared, she got a nice close-up view of the island. It was fairly large, filled with palm trees and a thick jungle surrounding a small town. Everything was slanted upwards slightly because it led to a large cliff, with a white sandy beach at the bottom. They flew to that beach.

Ty Lee jumped off of Yanna and stretched, yawning widely. She stripped off her outer clothing in record time and ran to the water.

"Katara! Katara!" she yelled to the waterbender. "Playing in the water will be fun, c'mon!"

"Sorry, Ty Lee. We've got to do a lot of training," she apologized to the girl. "Let's go, Shuang." Katara's pupil followed as they walked off to knee-deep water. "Alright. We'll start off with the Octopus form again..."

"But _Katara_," Ty Lee whined, interrupting her. Katara absentmindedly flicked her wrist, and a wave brought the acrobat tumbling out onto shore with a cheer.

Yet another problem on their minds was getting in as much training as they could. They had only two weeks for Aang to master fire and earth, Shuang to master water, Malu to master air, and Haru to master earth. Each of them were close, but Aang still had a long way to go to master firebending. The Avatar trained as much as he possibly could, keeping his airbending in practice while in the sky and training Malu, and flying close to the water to keep his waterbending from getting rusty.

"Alright Twinkletoes, we've got to master earthbending soon," Toph said, in her own lesson with Aang.

"But what about me?" Haru asked, feeling left out.

"Once Aang is done I'll get to you! Now be quiet and watch!" she snapped. "Okay. Mastering earthbending. How about one final test?"

"What test?" the boy asked, a determined look on his face. His eyes were steely with resolve, and the boy was getting increasingly solemn as time passed closer to the time of the Eclipse.

"Fight me," Toph said simply. Aang immediately got into a stance, but Toph grinned. "Blindfolded."

Aang nodded, as Sokka grinned ecstatically, holding up a long, wide piece of black cloth. He came up behind the airbender, tying it around his head. Sokka, still grinning, proceeded to grab Aang by the shoulders and spin him around continuously.

"Sokka, this isn't Pin-the-tail-on-the-Lemur," Aang said to him, sighing.

"Yeah, but it's still fun," the Water Tribe boy answered. Sokka walked away to watch from a safe distance, snickering, as Aang stumbled on his feet. Ty Lee plopped herself down on Keioushi's lap, pouting and watching the fight, since nobody else wanted to come in the water with her. Keioushi didn't mind.

* * *

Aang waited, listening for Toph's move. Two vibrations surged up from the ground, and he knew they must've been attacks of hers. She threw that _something _at him, but he deftly caught it, digging his fingers inside to grab it and hurl it back at her. As soon as his fingers touched it, he knew it was a boulder.

She must have been hardening the sand into rock all around her, because two slabs of stone came up to block the attack. Aang jumped toward her, bashing both fists against her shields. They crumbled into dust, but Toph was no longer there. _Where'd she go? _he wondered. He tried pushing vibrations into the ground, but then realized his fatal mistake. The sand was making his "vision" fuzzy, and he must have missed her running away. He pulled up jagged rocks all over the place.

Toph assumed he was attacking blindly, but as soon as she jumped from her perch on the cliffside, his ears pricked and he went attacking her. She cursed. He only used those spiky rocks to feel for vibrations. She crawled up the wall, shooting boulders down to herd him to the position _she _wanted. With her other hand, she began smoothing something out...

Aang hopped away from her assailing boulders, punching at the stony wall when he could to send up tremors to cause her to fall. No such thing happened. He scowled. Why was she doing this? Dodging and hiding wasn't in Toph's nature.

_You gotta open your brain to the possibilities_, young Bumi's voice resonated in his mind.

_That's it! _Aang thought, grinning. Toph must have been doing the same! What if this was all just a distraction? He began putting his palm up against the wall, this time feeling for vibrations instead of attacking her. He concentrated deeply, avoiding her falling boulders with his ears at the same time. _There she is_, he thought with satisfaction. The girl was over to his far right, trying to trick him by making the boulders start appearing somewhere else. She was over by where the cliffside started lowering to meet the beach. _I'll get her now!_

He ran over to the base of the cliff where she was, shooting his own boulders up at her. Suddenly, he felt something rumbling, vibrating madly... coming for him! He felt it easily. On the sloped land where the cliff came down toward the sea, Toph made a ramp. At the top of the ramp was the girl, a massive boulder in place that was now rolling down to him. She completely recreated the obstacle in his old training sessions with her—the one he failed.

No longer was he worried; an odd calm swept over him. He got into the right stance as the boulder rolled over to him. It felt like time slowed for this moment. He could do this. Why couldn't he do it before? This was easy. The point of impact was coming, and once it was finally close enough, Aang punched it as hard as he could, breaking the massive boulder into millions of pieces. Toph herself came running down right after it. He could feel her vibrations—they were going rapid, she was excited about something. He braced himself, expecting an attack, but was shocked when she put her arms around him, squeezing tightly enough to make his ribs creak.

"Ow! Toph! _Toph_!" he protested, struggling to breathe.

"You did it, Twinkletoes. You're an earthbending master," she said, pulling away. He pulled off the blindfold, seeing the smirk on her face. He rubbed his eyes at the sudden light.

"You're proud of me?"

"I never said that."

"C'mon, admit it, you're proud of me," Aang said innocently, smirking.

"Hah! Me? Proud?! There's nothing to be proud of."

"I can tell you're lying!" he sang. She then proceeded to punch him.

* * *

Jin sat on the beach, polishing her katana and watching Shuang train with Katara. His icy blue eyes were filled with passion for his bending style, as Katara made him swirl the water in complex patterns. The boy was groaning, calling it "girly work."

Sokka whistled. "You shouldn't have said that."

Katara's streams of water all lashed out at her waterbending pupil, shouting things at him the whole time. "The—patterns—help—you—get—control—over—large—amounts—of—water!" she yelled between strikes.

Jin then leaned back to watch Zuko and Aang's lesson, which was going a little bit better.

"You've learned to control other fires perfectly," Zuko was saying, in obvious reverence of the blaze. "You have proven that you can be trusted enough to make your own flames."

"So we'll be starting my own fire attacks?" Aang asked excitedly.

"Yes," Zuko sighed. "Attack stance. Now." Aang complied, getting into a typical firebending stance. "Firebending is fueled by rage. Put all of your anger in the fires. But, like all anger, you have to learn to keep it in control. Don't let out too much."

"You're right. I would not like to make that mistake again," Aang said, looking at the ground.

In minutes, both Zuko and the Avatar were shooting jets of flame at the water, and jumping up and shooting arcs of flame in their kicks. Jin smiled. She never thought Zuko would be a good teacher. When she first joined up with their group, she didn't want to stay. It was supposed to be temporary. She hated Zuko with every fiber of her being, but over time, the hatred died down, until eventually it was nonexistent. They were slowly becoming friends again, now that Jin knew he was trying to fix his mistakes. He was on the road to redemption. But perhaps he had already redeemed himself, by teaching the Avatar?

"You don't have the guts to be a master earthbender!" Jin heard Toph yell. _Uh-oh_, she thought, looking over to the blind earthbender and Haru. The boy was wincing at her words. "You aren't tough at all! Do you _like _having a twelve-year old girl yelling at you like this? Come on, yell back at me!"

"Toph, go a bit easier on him _please_?" Malu asked, suddenly stepping in. "Just because you're tough doesn't mean all earthbenders have to be."

Toph turned to her, a calm smirk on her face. "And you think you can teach him earthbending? Be my guest."

And she walked away.

"W-wait! I didn't mean it like that!" Malu yelled, panicked. She followed after the younger girl. Jin brushed the hair hanging in her face behind her ears, thinking. Malu was often so quiet, kind of shy really. Sure, they were all friends with her, but for the most part the girl was usually alone. So why was she standing up for Haru?

_Wait a minute... Aha! Haru... Malu... Aw, she likes him! _Jin listened to Malu and Toph's argument with newfound interest.

"But you can't stop training him! Haru, I'm so sorry!" she added to the boy. "But Toph, come on, we've all got to master our elements!"

"I don't _have _to train him. I chose to. He's not the Avatar," the girl replied offhandedly.

Malu suddenly jumped high into the air, landing right in front of Toph. "Toph, please keep training Haru. I am sorry for disrupting your lesson," she said, bowing.

Haru suddenly grabbed Toph by the shoulder from behind and spun her around, hanging her up in the air by the collar in the back of her neck.

"Hey, lemme go!" she yelled, attempting to kick at him.

"We've all got to master our bending," the boy said uncharacteristically. "I've been looking for an earthbending master forever, and you aren't going to walk out on me."

"Psh. Fine, whatever. You've proven you're tough, but a little stupid, for doing this to me," Toph said, and Haru dropped her a moment after.

Jin grinned and stood up, deciding to go for a walk. She saw Sokka and Suki lying in the sand, holding each other's hands and watching the sunset. Ty Lee was curled up in a rather tight ball in Keioushi's strong arms. Unfortunately, her boyfriend was currently training, and they would probably be doing so for at least another hour or two, because Katara insisted on practicing at night with him. That was okay to Jin, as long as he was able to master his art. Katara and Shuang were trading red water whips in the sea of fire, cast by the beautiful sunset. She sighed in adoration of the sun.

Away from everyone else, she walked along the shoreline, watching her bare feet sink into the sand with every step she took. She felt nervous about the war, for sure, but she wasn't alone. She wasn't as embarrassed about her fighting skills anymore either, since she was getting better every day, as if she was meant to bear her father's weapon. She even developed her own techniques.

She barely noticed where she was going as it grew darker, and she started to hear something around the next bend. Gripping the hilt of her katana tightly, she edged around, drawing her sword.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—," she threw apology after apology at them, because she stumbled in on Mai and Nodoka kissing quite passionately. They both got up, Mai blushing profusely and Nodoka looking extremely nervous, and ran back to camp together. Despite feeling extremely embarrassed, she followed the two of them back to camp.

"Guess we're staying here tonight, then?" Sokka asked, smoothing out his sleeping bag.

"Yeah," Suki answered, putting hers curiously close to his.

Minutes later, Jin was ready for sleep when Katara and Shuang tiredly came out of the water. Both of them unashamedly shed their outer clothes, opting to go to bed in just that. Shuang's sleeping bag was close to Jin's tonight. He was clothed in only a loincloth, and she watched Shuang from the light of the moon. His bronze, lightly muscled figure sent pleasant chills up her spine, and she couldn't keep her eyes off him as he came to rest near her.

"Y-You're not wearing much tonight?" she asked in an unusually high voice.

"Yeah, why not? We're getting close to the Fire Nation, and it's a very warm night," he answered.

She smiled, snuggling just a little bit closer to him.

* * *

"What an interesting journey," Ursa commented once she told their tale.

"Are you kidding?" Azula scoffed. "It was one of the most shameful moments of my life."

Ursa sighed, shaking her head. "You are so much like your brother. Honor and shame are not the only things in life. There is love, and courage, and trust..."

"Why would a Princess need those things?" Azula interrupted.

Ursa raised an eyebrow. "What are you the Princess of? The Fire Nation or your fath—"

"The Fire Nation, of course," Azula snorted.

"And would a Fire Nation Princess travel with peasants such as them?"

"What are you talking about? No, of course not," the Princess answered, giving her mother a suspicious look.

"Then what were you doing?"

"They captured me. I had no choice. They defeated me in a fight. I was going to bring the Avatar back to father, but..."

"Why would you bring the Avatar back? You have nothing to gain by doing so."

"Just to beat Zuko."

"Zuko isn't after the Avatar anymore," Ursa informed her.

"How do you know?" Azula demanded, standing up.

"I met with him a few weeks ago. He is on their side, and I believe he is even training the Avatar now."

Azula sat back down. "He's training the Avatar to kill father? That is even more of a reason to stop them. Father will then be satisfied with me and me only."

"You think he is satisfied with you? You are only a tool to him, a tool for his own purposes. All he cares about is power." Ursa said this so calmly, as if she had never even met him. Wasn't this hurting her inside, too? Did she feel guilty helping the ones to kill her own husband? "He doesn't love you. He doesn't love me. He doesn't love Zuko or Iroh. He only loves himself and power."

Azula halted while sipping her tea. Her mother's words had a stronger impact on her than any other words would. _He doesn't love you... he only loves himself and power... _It kept repeating over and over again in her head, slow tears falling from her eyes and down her cheeks, but she paid no notice. _He doesn't love you... he only loves himself and power... himself and power... doesn't love you... power... power... _

She slammed the teacup on the stone table, spilling it all over her arm. The tears fell more freely, and her mother ran around the table to put her arm around her. "He never did... he never loved me... Cruel... All he cared for was power... You're right. You're right, Mom..." As soon as the word left her lips, she broke down even more. Ursa was a better parent than Ozai would ever be. After weeks and weeks of the slow, painful healing, she finally learned.

Her father would never change. He hated her, just like he hated everyone and everything else, except for himself and power. _Himself and power..._

She wiped the tears away. "I want to fight against father," she moaned, finally realizing the truth. She finally wanted to fight against him. She was a traitor to her father. But not to her people. Her father was a traitor to his nation all along, and she would make him _pay_.

* * *

Smellerbee was currently sitting down in one of the rebellion's storage rooms, playing on an old Pai Sho board with Longshot. As she put down another tile, she asked Longshot, "What do you think of Azula... and Kei?"

He looked at her as if asking, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think they're... y'know... _good_?"

The boy shrugged.

"Why won't you talk to me? You said it yourself once, that you will only talk to those you trust. Don't you trust me, Longshot?" she asked, as if begging. "You've talked to Azula!"

He suddenly stopped moving, and looked up at her. "I trust you," was all he said.

"Then talk more! Open up! I want to know what you're like inside. Why can't you talk to me at all?"

The boy's normally scrutinizing gaze became softer, and maybe a little bit weaker. "Because... I don't know what to say," he said quietly.

"We'll practice then," she said, smiling. He nodded. "So, what do you think about Azula and Kei?"

"Kei is... timid. No confidence," he said in a monotone voice. "A friend, though."

"I agree," Smellerbee said, smiling. His lip twitched. _Ah, close enough_.

"Azula is changing. She is on the road to redemption; trying very hard," Longshot said, looking to her for confirmation. She nodded.

"So what was your life like before you joined the Freedom Fighters?"

"Difficult."

"How so?"

"Just me and my father. It was hard. No money."

"Were there any girls in your life?" Smellerbee asked, smirking. Longshot's eyes widened and he left the room in a rush. Smellerbee almost burst out laughing. She never saw Longshot getting afraid or nervous before!

* * *

Early the next morning, Jin was blushing when she woke up snuggled in Shuang's arms. She left to go to the town with Nodoka, Suki, and Ty Lee while everyone else trained their bending or otherwise ate or slept. They just wanted to do a little exploring.

Everyone except Jin was naturally light on their feet, so she felt extremely clumsy as they moved through the thick forest. Ty Lee seemed to float above the forest floor, hardly making a sound. Suki and Nodoka were practiced warriors, their leather-booted feet softly touching the ground. The only other noises were the echoing chirps of insects and birds, living in the dense foliage. Most of the sun was blocked out, but the forest seemed to hold hot hair in, and Jin felt incredibly sticky with sweat.

When they finally emerged, Jin laid her eyes on the town. Some broken down buildings lined the outside, but near the middle of the scattered buildings was a stone fountain, that once had a beautiful statue of a woman on top. That statue was no more, missing a leg, an arm, and half of its head. Drunken men were unconscious everywhere, broken bottles of liquor in their hands. Boats docked at port, Jin finally realized, weren't ordinary trading vessels. They were pirate ships.

"This is a criminal town!" Jin said.

"Yeah, so stay on guard," Suki warned.

"Why can't we just go back to the beach?" Ty Lee asked, tilting her head.

"Do you _really _want to go back through that hot forest?" Suki asked her. They shrugged, and walked into town, looking all around. Nodoka walked away from them, heading into a ramshackle tavern. Ty Lee went giddy and chased after some kind of reptilian bird, and Suki went down to the docks.

"Hmm, if this place is so dangerous," Jin asked herself, inspecting some stolen jewelry in a nearby shop, "then why don't we stay together?"

"So you're alone, little poppet?" a bald, fat man asked her, a malicious grin on his face.

"Er... no, my friends are here somewhere..." she said nervously. "Thanks for the concern, though."

"Stay wit' us for a while," the man offered, grinning.

"Um... no thanks," Jin answered, trying to walk away. A bony man suddenly stepped up behind her, holding a cold blade to her throat.

"Oh, no. We insist."

* * *

Suki sprinted through the forest, right behind Nodoka, who cleared a path through with his spear for her and Ty Lee. Why were they stupid enough to walk away? _Come on, Suki! You should know better_! she chided herself.

Haru looked up, and seeing the panicked looks on their faces, asked, "What's wrong?"

"Jin's gone missing!" Suki breathed to him. Shuang visibly stiffened, then ran into the woods. The others followed.

* * *

Shuang's eyes widened when he saw the town. _No, she must have been kidnapped! Jin, you should know better not to run off by yourself! _Cursing at his own stupidity for not coming with her, he ran down a side alley, his club out and ready.

On the ground, in plain view, was her sword, the _Kira-Duragon._ Perplexed, he went to pick it up.

"Lookin' for your girlfriend?" a thin, bony man asked, stepping from the shadows.

"What did you do with her?" he demanded aggressively. Water rose from the skin at his side.

"Oh, she's safe... for now."

"What do you want?" Shuang seethed.

"The Avatar. The Fire Lord is offering a high price for his head these days."

"I'll kill you before you can hurt Jin or Aang!" Shuang yelled, rushing at him with his club. The man sidestepped.

"Hurt me, and the girl dies." As soon as he said this, Shuang stopped. "Good."

"What do you think will happen? Aang will go looking for her and you'll pounce out of an alley?" Shuang asked sardonically.

"No, we expect you to get him for us." Shuang raged. This was just like in Ba Sing Se!

"No way," the waterbender said, snarling.

"Then I guess we have no use for her, then..." The man called to something behind him, "Slit her throat."

"No!"

"Then go do what we say. But make sure they know of your intentions. We want the betrayal to hurt."

* * *

The steady trample of the rhinoceros beetles kept her awake and alert. She grasped its horn tightly, staring resolutely ahead. She never felt so determined in her life.

The Avatar and his friends were already on their way to the Fire Nation, Ursa said. Now, Azula, Jet, Smellerbee, Longshot, and Kei were on their way to the port city of Funauta, which was mercifully close to the rebel city. They were planning to get on a Fire Nation ship, Azula's own, the one she used months ago, and sail there. Jet and the others would play as prisoners until they reached the Fire Nation. Sadly, Iroh had to stay in Jihen under Ursa's care because his sickness was getting worse.

With these transports, it wouldn't take them a very long time to get to the port. In fact, they were almost there already. Yes, her soldiers' extended vacation was over. In a few more minutes, the city came into view as they galloped across the Great Plains of the Earth Kingdom.

Smellerbee was clearly enjoying herself. A little before they left Jihen, she bashfully asked Azula for a favor. She confessed that she was interested in a certain boy.

"Is it Jet?" Azula asked her, folding her arms. When she shook her head 'no,' Azula felt a slight weight in her stomach lift. "Kei?"

"No."

"It can't be... Longshot!" Smellerbee slowly, but surely, nodded. Azula smacked her knee with her now-healed hand, laughing. "But he's got a _gigantic _nose! And no personality!"

"You wouldn't understand," the girl said, staring at the ground. "Azula, you're pretty. You can get guys to notice you..."

"Oh, so that's it," Azula said, smirking. "Thanks for the compliment."

"Can you... help?"

And in minutes, Azula was in her scraggly mess of a head, forcefully putting a comb through while Smellerbee threatened her in protest. Azula ignored them, smirking when she pulled a particularly large knot. Smellerbee was biting her hand in pain.

The end result was a Fire Nation style, and Azula was pleased with herself. Since Smellerbee's hair was actually a lot longer now than when she first met her, Azula was able to pull it into a respectable brown, smooth, and short ponytail held with a golden band. Next, there were two more very loose ones on the sides, and soft, brown bangs. The girl still kept her usual headband and clothing, but other than that she was a changed girl. The Princess fixed up the black makeup under her eyes, and afterwards, the girl looked rather pretty. When she looked at a mirror, she scowled, but didn't change it.

As they neared town, they all dismounted the rhinoceros beetles, which ran back faithfully to their masters. That done, Azula turned to the others. Kei put on his Fire Nation helmet, acting the part of the only soldier who survived the "attack." The rebels supplied them with handcuffs, which were locked onto Smellerbee, Longshot, and Jet. Their hands twitched as Azula put them on.

"I trust you... Azula," Jet said, staring into her eyes. The Princess nodded, as she led them all into town. Azula was back in her own Fire Nation armor, and all of her own soldiers relaxing in the city that saw her scrambled back to the ship.

Minutes later, when they came to Azula's old warship docked in the harbor, she strolled up there casually. She was surprised to see Lo and Li, the two old crones that were her lightning mentors, sitting exactly where she left them.

"It is nice to see you back, Princess," Lo said. Or was it Li?

"It's good to be back," she answered with her trademark smirk, going back into her malicious tone. That was easy.

"Who are the prisoners?" the other old lady asked. "That is not the Avatar."

"Is he not far?"

"He is very far away, going to the Fire Nation," Azula said, irritated. "Now someone has to take these prisoners below deck."

Kei complied with her order, opening the hatch to go down below. Azula turned to her mentors again. "Head a course to the Fire Nation!"

In minutes, the soldiers complied with her angry order as the metal ship raised its anchor and left the port. Soldiers were bustling around like crazy, clearly not liking how their vacation was interrupted. Soon, nobody was above deck except for Lo, Li, and Azula, who was gazing out at the ocean ahead.

She felt like cheering. But she couldn't. She was free of Jet and Iroh's control, and now they were _her _prisoners! But... could she really do that to them? _I trust you... Azula. _Damn him. Damn him and his trust! There were times like these where she hated Jet, but at the same time she couldn't stop thinking about him. Why couldn't she do it? She had the power here! _He only loves himself and power..._

"Something is troubling you, young Princess," Lo said.

"You have been in quite a mess," Li said.

"You seem to be split about something... Tell us, where did you find those prisoners?" they asked together, their voices hauntingly similar. Damn twin telepathy.

"They ambushed us on our way here. Only Kei and myself survived," Azula said, hands held behind her back.

"You are lying!" Lo said, her voice rising. Azula looked at her, alarmed. She never knew these two to lose their calm.

"You are a traitor!" Li yelled, her loose skin shaking. Azula got into a battle stance, two daggers of blue flame materializing in her hands.

"You would fight us?" they asked together. "We are the ones who created lightning power! We shall destroy you, and your traitorous life shall end!" They both stood up, surprisingly agilely considering their age. They were the sisters of Azulon, making them her great-aunts. If she had to stop them, she would; she better get used to it, since she was planning to fight her father.

The twin crones nimbly jumped down, lightning surging from their bony hands. One of them cackled, sending lightning forking through the air at Azula. She held out her hand, not even thinking about what she was doing. She caught it, and it was held back somewhat as both of them increased the charge. She grit her teeth, bracing the arm with her other and spreading her feet out. She wouldn't die already!

It was all around her, the light giving her a blue tinge as she tried pushing it back. But the lightning masters kept adding energy to it. Azula knew she would lose, she couldn't win with brute strength here. How pathetic it was to lose to two old ladies in the strength category.

Azula tried shooting her blue flames at the sisters with her hand, and they cut off the lightning for a moment. It made a large, glowing blue ball in her hand as she held it, and without a second thought it was thrown at them. They both dodged away in a symmetrical fashion. Arcs of blue flame were kicked at them, but they ran at her on both sides, crackling arcs of lightning shooting at her. She rolled forward, coming up hastily and kicking at them again. They were cackling insanely.

"You are truly your father's daughter, young Princess!" Li shouted gleefully.

"He would have no qualms harming a defenseless old lady," Lo finished.

"But you, on the other hand, will _die_!"

Their attacks were at her again at impossible speeds, but once again, Azula held them back with her palm. She smirked. She created a new way to stop lightning. Li spread her fingers, and five forks of lightning sped towards her leg, and Azula jumped back, hitting the railing of the ship but avoiding Li's attack. She groaned in pain as the two sisters closed in on her.

_No... I will _not _lose to two old hags! I have to get to the Fire Nation. I have to stop father. _And at that moment of her greatest determination, Azula held out her fingers, pointing them at Li. Lightning shot from her own hands, hitting the old crone right in the chest. She shrieked, the lightning bringing her up into the air, and she was thrown into the ocean. Lo shrieked at the same exact time, crumbling to the ground in agony. Both women were dead.

Azula smirked. She had her lightning back. She dragged Lo's dead body into the water, and a confused soldier poked his head out of the metal door. They must have thought Azula was just angry at them, and threw the old ladies overboard. It wasn't like she never did it before.

And this time, there was not a single hair out of place.

* * *

"Oh, hey Shuang. Have you seen anything?" Katara asked the boy, who was now walking up to her. He didn't answer. "Um... Shuang?"

Water rose from the boy's water skin, freezing into a straight javelin. "I'm sorry, Katara," the boy said, expressionless. It flew through the air, straight at her, but she had the sense to stop it, turning it into water.

"Shuang, what are you doing?" she yelled at him, eyes widening in surprise. He tried grasping hold of the water that was now suspended between them, but Katara fought for it. The water seemed limp, trying to decide between which bender to return to. In the end, since waterbending was not about commanding force, it fell. Katara's own water came to her command, and it was held out in a stream in front of her. "Shuang, tell me what's wrong!"

Again, he didn't answer, but for a second she saw a pained look in his eyes. It quickly disappeared once he pulled up the discarded puddle, freezing it into a string of ice that he slid over to her with, but behind him it quickly turned to water again that lashed out at his master. Katara deflected it with her water whip, which snaked around the boy's ankle and tripped him up

They fought for several more minutes, until Suki came, followed by Malu. The three girls easily took him down, and he was frozen to the ground, courtesy of Katara.

"Why did you attack us?" Katara demanded.

"I wanted... Aang," he said, his voice full of regret.

"You mean all this time you've been with us to get at Aang?!" Suki yelled, her fans opening.

"No!"

"You were forced to," Malu said quietly. "It's just like at Ba Sing Se, I can tell."

"Yes. They've got Jin," he whispered, closing his eyes.

"Who has Jin?" Katara asked, her ocean blue eyes wide.

"I don't know. Some men. A fat one and a skinny one." At this time, Ty Lee and Keioushi wandered over, followed by Song, Mai and Nodoka, Sokka, and Aang himself.

* * *

After Shuang described the men the best he could, everyone came over, and they were gathered in the jungle, planning their next move. They kept pretending Shuang was captured and didn't willingly join them.

Once their plan was formulated, Shuang walked back to the place he met the two pirates, Aang in tow.

"What do you have to show me, Shuang?" the young Avatar asked.

"You'll see. Just wait," the waterbender replied.

"Is it... shiny?" Aang asked, trying to contain his excitement. Both of the men appeared from a broken window above them, jumping down. The fat one had Jin hung over his shoulder. Once they landed, he put a knife to her throat. "Hey, that's Jin!" Aang waved to the girl.

"That's the Avatar?" the thin pirate asked.

"Yes," Shuang said. "Show them, Aang."

"Uh... okay," the boy replied, hopping on his air scooter. Both pirates grinned their toothy grins. Once they were satisfied, Shuang promptly clubbed Aang in the head with his Water Tribe weapon. The young boy fell to the ground. The bony man quickly grabbed Aang, at the same time that the fat man let go of Jin. She scuffled over to Shuang.

"What did you do!?" she screamed at him. "You gave up the _Avatar _for _me_? Why would you do that, Shuang?" she cried. "All hope is lost..."

One of Aang's large, grey eyes flicked open, and a flame went at the bony man's feet. He screamed in pain, hopping on one foot. One gust of air later and both of them were blown against the far wall, unconscious. "Wow, they were stupid," the boy remarked, scratching his head.

* * *

"I'm sure glad that's over," Shuang sighed with relief, putting his arm around Jin. They rushed off the island as fast as they could, and now they were back and flying. "I don't appreciate the mean comments, though."

"Sorry... but you can never give up the Avatar for me in the future, okay?" Jin asked him, staring up into his icy blue eyes. She kissed him on the nose, and he grinned stupidly.

"Okay," he promised. Appa started flying dangerously close to them, and Shuang could see Sokka yelling.

"How could you fight my baby sister? Why did you agree to what those damn pirates wanted? Shuang, Aang is much more important than all of us—no offense, Jin—and... that kind of stuff can't happen again," Sokka said dejectedly.

"Sokka, don't worry about it. I completely understand, and I forgive him," the Avatar said sincerely. "He had no other choice."

"Excellent waterbending by the way," Katara complimented from atop Bahamut. Shuang smiled, giving thanks to all of them.

He stared at the setting sun, thinking about just how lucky he was to have friends like them and a girl like Jin.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Thought that might be a good place to end the chapter. I don't think this is one of my best, but I hope you like it. And to apologize for an accidental, slightly sexist comment last chapter, I put in a lot of girls kicking ass here :)**

**Next chapter: They finally get to the Fire Nation! Please review!**


	25. Strange Vision

**Author's Note: Got this one out a bit quicker for you guys. Not much else to say, I guess, except thanks for the reviews! Enjoy! Oh, and this chapter title is from another Final Fantasy game. For those of you who play, see if you can find it!**

**Anonymous Review Responses:**

**nicole: Heheh, sorry! I am much better at writing action than romance, and to tell the truth, I prefer action a lot more. But battle drama and romantic battle scenes I might be able to do. Glad you like the story!**

**NaniPep09: Sorry about the lack of Zutara last chapter. That one was devoted to the characters that I have mostly been ignoring, such as Jin, Suki, Smellerbee, Longshot, etc.**

**PenguinPuu25: Yes, the firebenders will lose their powers during the Eclipse. And yes, that includes Zuko, Aang, Ozai, Azula, all them. But Aang won't be crippled useless—he still has airbending, waterbending, and earthbending, remember? Yes, the fight may seem easy, but it won't be, even with the odds on their side. Eclipses, from what I've heard, can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. And Ozai will have a weapon of his own during the Eclipse, so he'll still have a fighting chance.**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 25: Strange Vision_

The Fire Nation loomed ahead of them, a distant landmass on the horizon. To the north was the capital, Sozin City, and to the south, "peasant lands," as Mai put it. Zuko had suggested that they land down to the south for a little while, and spend the time until the Eclipse training. They would have to walk up to the capital after that, so they would have less of a chance of being seen. Supposedly, the peasants in the south held grudges against the Fire Lord, since taxes and such things were high priced for them. There was a small chance that they'd be a little safer.

As they came closer, Katara was able to see the continent in detail. At first, she shivered unpleasantly, but upon closer inspection, the Fire Nation didn't seem too bad. There were thick jungles all over the place, covering the lands in green. They surrounded snow-capped mountains and dormant volcanoes. Katara wasn't too eager to see the volcanoes—two times in the past they had bad experiences with them.

The southern part of the Fire Nation wasn't at all like she imagined. She thought of barren, lifeless lands whenever she thought of the place, much like things were on Avatar Roku's Crescent Island. She thought that that was why they started the war—more crops and fertile land from the Earth Kingdom. Zuko confirmed that north of the capital city the continent was as infertile and barren as she thought.

But then she remembered seeing something on the world map. The Western Air Temple wasn't _that _far from the Fire Nation. Would Aang want to go visit it, perhaps before they went to the Final Battle?

Katara shivered again, and Zuko looked down at her in concern. He must've felt it, since they still sat so close to each other on the dragon as they flew. But... now it hit her. In less than two weeks, the Solar Eclipse would be coming. In less than two weeks, the rebels and Earth Kingdom soldiers would invade Sozin City. In less than two weeks, Aang would fight the Fire Lord. Would Fate really give them so little time to be together, so little time to just be _kids_ for once? Was it really fair that they were going into the most incredible battle of their lives in less than two weeks, having a good chance of facing death? What if someone died? What if Sokka, or Aang, or Zuko, or anyone else didn't make it? Would they fight on without them, and have little time to grieve?

_We'd have time for mourning after the battle_, her mind said to her solemnly. _The Final Battle..._

She rested against Zuko for comfort, looking up at him as he stared determinedly ahead. After the battle at Ba Sing Se, Jeong Jeong gave him Fire Nation noble's clothing, a red cloak with golden edges. The shoulders had layers of red leather for some protection, spiking out to make it distinctly Fire Nation. It was a traveling cloak that Zuko wore all of the time now, and he normally had his hood up. Katara thought he looked mysterious and alluring with his hood up, but right now it was down as his black hair blew in the wind. It took her mind a few seconds to process her thoughts, and she realized what she was thinking! Zuko was alluring to her? Appealing? Attractive? Charming?

_Oh, you know it, _her mind said to her.

_Er, well, I don't know... _she thought.

_Just admit it!_

_I—oh, fine... _she thought halfheartedly. She gave up arguing with herself. Constantly she had been thinking about him, noticing for some reason his stunning golden eyes and muscles. Why not? She wasn't one to keep on fighting even if she knew for a fact that she was wrong. Not only that, but their getting closer day by day wasn't helping, either. She was able to talk to him about things she couldn't talk about with Aang or Sokka, like her secrets as a child and life back at the South Pole. Sokka wouldn't care and Aang was always so busy now, so grim and determined and _mature_. Zuko, on the other hand, was the same as ever. He was just a young, confused teen, and he needed her help. And Katara wasn't the type to deny those who needed her, whether they said it or not.

Besides, Aang had Toph and Sokka had Suki. Who could she have? She loved sitting with him on Bahamut as they flew countless hours over the ocean, sometimes talking but mostly sitting in silence, just enjoying each other's company. At least she wasn't fawning over him like she did to the Knight Baithin, or Jet, months ago.

Thinking of Jet brought a slight pang of guilt and sadness to her heart. He risked his life for them, just so they could find Appa and unwrap the Dai Li's conspiracy. Why didn't she put all of her energy into healing him? She could have helped, at least kept him alive long enough to find a doctor. His death showed her that their side was definitely not invincible. Sooner or later, somebody who fought for good would die. She absently wondered what happened to Smellerbee and Longshot.

Minutes later, after days of flying, they finally got to the Fire Nation. Nervous tingles wound up and down her body as she stepped off of Bahamut. With low groans (and growls in Bahamut's case) the three beasts lied down on the ground, resting.

"Hey, guys..." Haru began.

"Yeah?" Ty Lee asked, touching her toes.

"Do you think that there might be a small chance that some Fire villages will support us?" he asked hopefully.

"You mean a village that supports the Avatar? Fat chance," said Zuko.

"It wouldn't hurt to try," Aang said optimistically.

"We'll have to be careful about it," said Katara. "We wouldn't want to get caught as soon as we got to the Fire Nation."

"Aren't there people who don't like the Fire Lord down here?" Mai drawled, a hand on her hip.

"Maybe some people wanna meet Aang or their Prince again!" Ty Lee suggested.

"We'd have to go to the nearest village in small groups, maybe two or three," Song said. "I will go."

"I'll go, too," both Zuko and Aang said.

"Alright. Be careful though," Katara said to the three of them as they walked off. Katara went to train with Shuang while Toph fought with Haru.

* * *

Upon reaching the village, which wasn't too far from the shores, Zuko put the hood of his red cloak up. If he were discovered here, he'd be killed on the spot. He was returning to his home, the place he was forbidden to come to. Aang didn't have to worry about being seen here, none would recognize the Avatar, especially since he was only wanted in the Earth Kingdom, oddly. Nobody was expecting him to come to the homeland of his enemies. And Song, well, she was just a nobody to the Fire Nation.

The houses here were made of the dark wood of the rainforests, with thatched roofs. It was a simple farmer's village, one that Zuko had never visited before. When he was younger, he was confined to the Palace, or sometimes, if he was lucky, the city, until his banishment. The houses were laid out in no particular pattern, with people scattered about doing daily chores. With their sun-tanned skin and brown clothing, these people looked like they were in the Earth Kingdom more than anything. It was amazing how similar the two Nations were, if you squinted, right down to the peasant life.

"Prince Zuko!" someone said loudly, surprised. Zuko stiffened, and he knew Song and Aang did next to him. He turned to the man swiftly, seeing a familiar face. He had short, graying hair and the stern face of a soldier, but radiated an inner kindness and the ability to stand up for what was right.

"Lieutenant Jee!" Zuko said, surprised. Both men grinned, going up to each other and clasping arms. Jee scratched his head.

"Not anymore, sir. After Admiral Zhao's death, most of us came back home. I'm no longer in the Fire Nation Army. Wait a minute..." Jee broke off, suddenly noticing Aang. "Is that the Avatar!?"

"_Shh_!" Song shushed him.

"I'll explain later," Zuko whispered to his friend. Jee openly laughed, much to Aang's amusement.

"Don't worry! In this village, many people here support the Avatar!" Jee said. Aang beamed.

"Really? Haru was right, there is some good in the people of the Fire Nation!" he exclaimed.

"Come with me, sir. I'd like you to meet my family," the ex-Lieutenant said to Zuko. They nodded as Jee led them to one of the huts, opening up the flap and beckoning them inside. "Meet my wife, Lulu, and my two daughters, Tereya and Gouina."

Tereya, the younger one, hid behind her clearly pregnant mother's legs, while Gouina walked up to them pompously.

"Hello there!" she greeted, grinning. Both girls looked like their mother, a kindly woman with a round face and silky black hair.

Lulu looked to her husband with a questioning look on her face, but welcomed her guests all the same. Jee picked up both of his daughters, causing them both to giggle.

"I'd like you to meet Prince Zuko," he said to his family, "the Avatar, and... err..."

"Song," the girl finished for him, smiling to Jee's shyer daughter.

"What honored guests we have! I'll go cook something up. Really, Jee, I could've used some warning first..." Lulu muttered good-naturedly to her husband, bustling off to the kitchen. Jee laughed.

"So, what brings you here?" the ex-Lieutenant asked them.

"We're going to be ending this war soon," Aang said to the man. Jee nodded solemnly.

"We can trust him," Zuko said to the Avatar. Aang nodded.

"We'll invade Sozin City on the day of the Solar Eclipse. A whole army will be behind us," he informed him in a level voice. "We could use all the help we could get."

Jee nodded. "I understand. No matter what, we will continue to stand by you, Prince Zuko. I'll go round everyone up, and we'll head to the capital. We'll help end this war."

"Thank you," Aang and Song said, bowing. Song was now kneeling on the ground, talking to an excited Gouina.

"I wanna be a master firebender when I grow up, just like Daddy," the girl said to her. She held out her palms, where a flame flickered for a second. Tereya, her younger sister, stared with eyes wide.

"I'm sure you'll be very strong," Song confirmed for her, and the girl beamed.

"Avatar Aang, where are the rest of your friends?" Jee asked the boy.

"Heh. They're all back at camp," Aang said. "And just call me Aang. Yeah, they should all be practicing their bending."

"So is General Iroh your firebending master?"

"Nope, Zuko is!" Jee looked pleasantly surprised by this.

"How is Iroh by the way?"

"We don't know. Azula took him somewhere, and now they're both missing," Zuko mumbled.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jee said sincerely. "Have you mastered firebending yet, Aang?"

"No, but I've mastered earthbending and waterbending and airbending. But we've still got to train some others in our group..." Aang said, shrugging.

Jee looked taken aback. "How many are you?"

"Er..." Aang started, mentally counting.

"Fifteen," Song said for him immediately. Jee blinked.

* * *

"Hey, you!" an armored soldier sneered. Kei looked up and saluted to his superior.

"Yes, sir?"

"Princess Azula wants to see you in her private chambers," he said. "Go, before she gets angry!"

"Yes, sir!" he nodded, walking in that direction. Many soldiers looked on at him in sympathy or pity as he walked past. Normally, it wasn't a good thing if Azula called for you. Kei knew otherwise, it must have been about Jet and the others. As he walked, he tried to look the part of a terrified soldier.

He reached her metal door, stumbling as the ship rocked. He knocked and she answered, telling him to come in. The Princess sat at a desk, poring over maps of the Fire Nation and sightings of the Avatar's trail.

"How are the prisoners?" Azula asked in a rude tone.

"They're fine. I'm making sure they're treated well—"

"Don't let—," Azula interrupted, but Kei stopped her.

"Nobody's suspicious," he said. She raised an eyebrow at him, apparently not used to being interrupted, but let it pass. "So... the Fire Lord doesn't know about the invasion day, does he? The rebels are trying to plan a surprise attack."

"You don't trust me?" she said innocently, smirking. "Hm... it must have slipped my mind." Of course, she knew of the Earth Kingdom's plan to invade on the day of the Solar Eclipse, but she avoided telling her father because he forbid her to send messages to him until she captured the Avatar. Of course, she had to notify him of the takeover of Ba Sing Se, but in that letter, she said nothing about the Solar Eclipse.

"That's a relief," the Fire Nation soldier said. "But I'm glad you're helping us, Azula. It would be much harder without you."

"Whatever. Get back to work!" she snapped. He bowed, grinning, and stepped out of the room.

* * *

Not long afterwards, Aang and Song went back to the rest of the Gang, just in time to see Shuang knock down Katara and Haru nearly threw Toph up in the air, making her stumble. Aang grinned for them. Soon, they would be ready. He was able to manipulate fires perfectly and make powerful attacks, but recently he had been working on making large amounts, enough so that he could firebend for a long time without getting tired. He had to learn and master firebending, even though the Eclipse would keep him or anyone else from firebending. What if the Eclipse ended early? Would it last for a few hours, or even a few minutes? Anything could happen. There were too many questions and 'what ifs.'

After Toph sent Haru flying several feet in the air and into the ocean, she walked over to him. She seemed uncharacteristically nervous about something.

"What's wrong, Toph?"

"This might seem kind of random, but..." said Toph, fidgeting slightly. "...I'm worried for you guys."

Aang stared at her, wide-eyed. It was not like Toph to get worried for anyone, much less admit it. But, Aang deduced, war could change many people, including himself. He waited for her to finish.

"I don't want to lose anyone, since, well, you're my first real friends," she continued. "I've only met you guys a few months ago. And if I lost you guys, I'd feel like... I don't know..."

"Like we could have spent much more time together, away from pain and war and death," Aang finished for her. "I understand." Toph so rarely spoke from her heart, she was definitely never the sensitive type, and she never let people know her weaknesses. Aang didn't mind, though.

"There's so many things I've never done in life yet. What if something happens to me instead?" said Toph, staring blankly at the ground.

"Don't think like that. Nobody's gonna die," Aang said sternly.

"Be realistic. You really think we'll all get out of this in one piece?" she asked, nearly back to her normal tone. Aang said nothing. For a while, they were both silent, as Aang watched Katara pass water balls to Shuang while they both rode water snakes.

"What are colors like?" asked Toph suddenly. Aang knew immediately why she asked. It was one of the things she'd never get to experience. "What's it like to see?"

"I don't know. I guess it's hard to describe a color. It's one of those things that..."

"You have to see for yourself," Toph interrupted. "I know." Aang stared at her apologetically.

"Well, colors are everything. They're everywhere. Everything has a different color," he said, as Toph was getting increasingly angry. "But they're not necessarily the best things in the world."

"Why?" she asked, pausing from slamming her fist into the ground.

"There are very terrible things to see. Some things I wish were erased from my memory..." Aang said sadly. Monk Gyatso's skeleton was just one thing he wished he never saw.

"I'd like to see anyway," Toph said boldly. Aang's eyes popped wide open suddenly.

"Maybe you can!" he said excitedly.

"What are you talking about, Twinkletoes?" As she spoke, Aang was bending some water to him, covering his hands in it. The water instantly glowed. Healing was normally a very difficult ability for normal benders to do if they weren't born with the ability, but Aang was the Avatar, and Katara taught it to him.

"Don't move," he said to Toph, as he held the glowing water to her head. She was about to shout something at him, but she immediately felt relaxed. It was soothing.

"Are you... trying to heal... blindness?" she asked calmly.

"I don't know if it'll work, but it's worth a try!" he said. All of his nervousness, fear, and apprehension about the Solar Eclipse immediately melted away as he concentrated solely on Toph. Holding the water near her head, he was able to search for the problem. The glowing water was like holding open a window to look through a person's body, a technique healers often used to find any internal injuries. Aang concentrated near her eyes, his eyes screwed up and his tongue sticking out slightly.

* * *

The first thing she felt was intense pain near her eyes, and she gripped her legs as tightly as she could, determined not to make a sound. She immediately closed her eyes, putting her forehead against the ground. It was so, so bright, and it felt as if her head was being split open. She had never felt worse pain... The light was going right through her eyelids, and she held her hands up to her face in an attempt to stop the pain. It ended as suddenly as it started. All she saw was darkness again.

"I'm so sorry Toph!" Aang panicked to her, a hand gripping her shoulder. "I didn't mean to..."

"It worked," she interrupted him quietly. She saw! She saw light! She must have screamed without realizing it, causing Aang to stop.

"You can... see?" he asked in awe, all panic gone.

"Not anymore, but it happened for a second. It was so bright..."

"Want to... try again?" he asked timidly. She nodded quickly, screwing her eyes shut and lowering her head to the ground. She wouldn't open her eyes as quickly as before. Aang bended more water from his waterskin, since it dropped to the ground before, and held it up to her head as it glowed.

She saw the brightness again, but it wasn't as piercing as before. She held her fingers up to her eyelids in an attempt to block it out, which seemed to be working. Very, very carefully, she cracked open an eye.

The first thing she saw was a pebble. She knew the ground was _brown_. She was finally seeing brown for the first time! What a miraculous color! Her heart was thumping widely, and she opened her other eye. Lifting her head slowly, her fingers fell from her face, and she set her eyes on Aang, still concentrating on the healing water held up to her. Her mouth dropped open in awe, not believing what she was seeing.

For the first time, she saw a facial expression. It was so _amazing_. People lived like this all the time? It was unbelievable! She saw Aang. This was Aang. She saw blue for the first time, on his arrow and in the sky behind him. She knew it was blue. Sokka always commented on his blue arrow.

"Aang..." she said quietly, still in obvious awe. He looked in her eyes, and words couldn't describe what she felt. "Th-thank you."

He smiled, and Toph couldn't believe how happy it looked, how well it suited him. She had never seen a smile before. His eyes, youthful and vibrant and some _unknown color_ twinkled, full of life. She had so many questions to ask, there were so many colors she didn't know how to identify.

"What color are your eyes?" she asked.

He thought for a moment, rolling his eyes to the back of his head, as if trying to see them. "Grey, I think."

"And your clothes?" Those were unusually bright.

"Er... Yellow-y and orange-ish," he answered, grinning. He continued to hold the glowing water to her head. She tried looking around him, and gasped. There was so much to see!

The sky and ocean were a brilliant blue, the first things she saw. Two blurry figures were waterbending, both also wearing blue, on giant spirals of water. The grass, she realized, was green. Everyone knew grass was green. Another bright color cartwheeled over to them, and judging from the vibrations and the voice, she immediately identified it as Ty Lee.

"What'cha doing, Aang?" she asked, looking at Toph. Toph raised an eyebrow.

"What color is _that_?" she asked, pointing at the girl's clothes. Ty Lee gaped.

"You mean... you can... _see_?" she asked, eyes wide as saucers.

"Yeah, now answer the question," she said, smirking.

"Uh... well, pink. Everyone, come here, quick! Toph can _see_!" she yelled to everyone else. Song and Jin were the first to come, followed quickly by everyone else.

"Aang, how did you—?" Katara asked, staring surprised at the two. "Blindness can't be cured!"

"You're a better healer than I am, you try it," Aang said to her. Katara nodded, bending the water from her flask and holding it up to Toph's head, which was glowing like some weird, giant orb.

Things immediately became more defined, and she was able to identify the large green mass in the distance, which she realized was a jungle. She looked at all her allies, all her friends. Katara had clothes the same color as the water and the sky, perhaps a little darker, but her eyes were the bluest things she had seen so far. Shuang and Sokka were the same, who both looked dumbstruck. Malu, Toph was surprised to see, had the same colored clothing as Aang. Toph stood up, just realizing she was on the ground.

She learned what silver was, through Nodoka's hair, and red, from Keioushi's and Suki's (though the latter had a bit of brown, too) and she learned that air was invisible. She always thought it had some kind of look to it, because you could feel it, and smell it if it carried scents, and you could hear it. Wind was such an odd thing. She asked what fire looked like.

"I'll show you," Aang said, taking a hand away from his healing work. A small ball of red and yellow and orange materialized in his hand, and Toph stared at it in awe. Everything was _so bright_!

"How come nobody else's eyes hurt?"

"You'll get used to it," Aang answered her question. Toph heard once that the sun was like a ball of fire, and she tilted her head to look at it, but Katara immediately pushed it down.

"What was that for?" she growled.

"Don't look at the sun, it's extremely unhealthy, even for us," she answered.

"Toph!" Sokka suddenly shouted, pointing at her face. "Your eyes!"

"What?" she asked, holding a hand up to her face.

"Wow!" Jin breathed.

"What?!" Toph repeated, angrier this time. Katara thought for a moment, and more water came from her flask, making a flat, hard surface. It was shining oddly in the sun. The girl doubted the substance always looked like that, oddly clear and solid-looking. She knew what it was. Toph saw ice for the first time. "That stuff's so weird looking."

"Look into it," the waterbender said. Toph complied, and she gasped.

She was able to see her own face. She had thick, black hair (she knew what black was because of Mai) and, in her opinion, a very pretty face. But then she saw her eyes. They were no longer blind or unseeing. This was her _true _eye color. They were a deep, emerald green, shining brightly behind black strands of hair. Tears fell from them, streaming down to her chin and dripping off of her face.

"What's everyone doing?" a voice asked. They all turned to look at Zuko. Toph winced upon seeing his scar.

"Toph can see, Zuko," Katara answered, smiling.

"Alright everyone, get away from me. I don't want to be ogled at all day," Toph muttered, wiping the tears away. The others backed up cautiously. She was an even more dangerous earthbender with sight added on to her skill at feeling vibrations.

"Toph, I don't think this is permanent. Once me and Aang take our hands away, you'll... go back to being blind again," Katara said sympathetically. Toph nodded sadly.

"It was good while it lasted," she shrugged.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can do it again some other time! There's so much stuff you can still see!" said Aang excitedly. Toph smiled as the two waterbenders took their hands away from her head, feeling darkness descend on her once more.

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow, that was so clichéd, sorry. I really wasn't planning that, but it came while I was writing, and I was kind of struggling with this chapter and all of that just came to me, making this chapter the length I wanted it to be. I guess it's a treat for you Taang-lovers, huh:D Trust me, for those of you who don't like Toph with vision, it won't be permanent. **

**I forgot what else I was going to say, so I guess I'll complain again. Sorry that this chapter took a week to come out! I've been loaded with schoolwork! It reminds me so much of O.W.L. year (for Harry Potter fans) lol. I'd be in fifth year, too, if I was in Hogwarts. So I guess it kind of fits.**

**Many of the things in the Fire Nation will be influenced by Japanese culture (especially in the capital city) so I gave Jee's daughters Japanese names. They meant 'shy' and 'pushy,' if my translator is right. I think the Fire Nation will be like this in the show, and if you think about it, the Earth Kingdom is kind of like China, especially with the huge continent. Japan is a smaller piece of land off of China. It's kind of like our world map, except that the Fire Nation is to the west of the Earth Kingdom, and Japan was to the east of China.**

**Please review! And I know it was clichéd, so don't flame me for that :)**


	26. Gunjiteki

**Author's Notes: I'm so glad everyone liked the last chapter! This one will be much more action-y as they head north to the capital city of the Fire Nation.**

**Thanks so much for the reviews guys, I love them :DD Hmm... I wanted to try and finish this before season 3 starts, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Stupid schoolwork**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 26: Gunjiteki_

Katara watched the black smoke cloud in the sky, quite bored. The column of smoke rose and rose, so she deduced it was probably from a volcano. She was able to see it from very far away, and it had been erupting for a very long time. Could volcanoes erupt for so long?

"Zuko, I'm bored," she randomly said to him as they flew through the sky. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow that Aang wanted Toph to see. The little girl was obviously in awe of the sunset, but she vehemently denied it. Katara liked watching that every day, as it made the mountainous land look beautiful.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he returned. Katara ran her fingers along Bahamut's black scales, wondering if he could even feel it. Deep valleys and jungles and tiny villages passed by below them, and Katara felt unusually high up.

"I dunno, just... something!" The firebender silently laughed at her.

"I'm just as bored," he replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. Tingles went up and down Katara's body, but she blamed it on the lightning coursing through his body. At Zuko's words, the dragon picked up speed, then did a full backflip in the air. Katara screamed, grabbing onto Zuko's arms as he clutched the dragon's horns tightly.

"Don't do that!" she yelled at Bahamut, laughing. The dragon grunted smugly in response. Katara thought that if it could've smiled, it would have. Zuko laughed along with her.

As night fell, they passed a low cloud, drifting ominously over a mountain and obscuring the land below. Appa, commanded by Aang, started to descend to camp and train for the night, but as soon as the three creatures went through the clouds, they immediately went back up. A large and heavily fortified city was there, and in her fleeting glimpse Katara saw high watchtowers and thick, gigantic metal walls.

"What _was _that?" Sokka asked, hanging over Appa as if trying to see through the cloud.

"It must have been the military city, Gunjiteki," Zuko answered quietly.

"Oh yeah!" Ty Lee exclaimed, causing many to shush her. "I've heard of that. It's supposed to be a biiiig part of the Fire Military!"

"It houses many troops and lots of supplies are made there," Zuko continued. "It's pretty important."

"Well let's keep going then," Aang said, grabbing Appa's reins and ushering him on.

"Wait a minute, Aang!" said Malu. "I've got an idea!"

"I already know what you're gonna say. No. That's impossible," Mai said.

"Wait, what's she gonna say?" Ty Lee asked, looking confused. Keioushi, beside her, shrugged.

"We've got to destroy it. It'll make the battle at the capital so much easier," Malu said.

"That's impossible, did you see the size of that thing and all of their security!?" Sokka yelled, waving his arms as if to emphasize his opinion.

"You wimps, I say we try it," Toph said. "Stop being so pessimistic."

"Thanks, Toph," Malu said to her.

"Alright, what's your plan?" Haru asked kindly.

"We take it down from the inside, since it's so heavily fortified on the outside," the airbender answered.

"How do you plan on getting inside?" Sokka asked, determined to point out flaws in her plan.

"Well, some of us can fly in from above, and cause as big of a distraction as possible, while a smaller group goes inside to cause some more havoc," she answered, grinning. "Using that volcano."

"You might know how to magma-bend, but I don't," Sokka said, crossing his arms.

Katara smacked her forehead.

"Lava is made of fire and rock," Malu said, raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, since that volcano is constantly erupting into the military base, they've got to have some way to halt the flow. We just have to let it keep going."

"Who would build a military base right by a volcano?" said Aang skeptically, scratching his head.

"It was a tiny village before it became a military base. Supposedly, lava helps with crops or something," Mai said disinterestedly. Many "ohh's" went through their group. They were all floating in the night sky, quickly planning their attack on Gunjiteki.

* * *

Azula inspected her nails, waiting for their reactions. Her nails were no longer grimy and broken, but they weren't as sharp or long as they used to be.

She had just proposed to these men to betray the Fire Lord. Many looked afraid and shocked, but they had done nothing yet. Jet, Smellerbee, Longshot, and Kei stood behind her.

"Well? Make your decision," she said venomously. "I do not have all day."

"Azula," Jet hissed in her ear. "They're too scared. They think that if they make the wrong decision you'll kill them."

"Oh, fine," she said to him, and then to the rest, "I won't kill you if you make the wrong decision. Perhaps I'll just throw you overboard." Jet slapped his forehead.

"I will fight for my Nation!" one soldier shouted bravely, running at Azula with his sword. She sighed, kicked it away by the hilt and sent him soaring into the water.

"The Avatar... is our _friend_," she said. She felt her tongue tingling at her words. "He's going to bring an end to this tiring war. Don't you want to go home to your families?"

Now they looked confused. One soldier meekly spoke out, "You will fight against your own father...?"

"If I must," she snapped. "Now hurry, we will be docking in Old Azulon soon."

"Why Old Azulon, Your Highness?" another soldier asked.

"It is the closest city to the capital. Perhaps we will intercept with the Avatar's path and join them there," she said. She knew they were going to start south and head north through the Fire Nation to the capital city. It was how her brother thought. She, on the other hand, would be direct and precise and strike the Fire Nation city quickly.

One soldier, the highest ranking one there, stepped forward. "We will join you, Princess Azula."

"Thank you, Captain. Now let's get there quickly. We do not want to miss them," she said curtly, dismissing them. All of the soldiers, with the exception of Kei, went to work.

"What's Old Azulon?" Smellerbee asked.

"It was the capital before my father became Fire Lord," Azula answered.

"Yeah, now it's just a peasant city, ignored by Ozai, and separated from Sozin City by some mountains," Kei finished.

"Yes. The Haiki Cliffs. Nobody goes through there anymore, but it's the fastest way to get to the capital from Old Azulon," said Azula. "Now you all go make sure nobody's planning to betray me," she ordered. Longshot nodded, Kei complied, but Smellerbee looked slightly angry. With a gentle touch on the shoulder from Longshot, she gave in. Jet stayed behind.

"You did great," he said to her, looking over the ocean. "I'm glad you're with us."

"I'm not doing it for you," she said.

"You're lucky we were here, though. Without us, those soldiers would have attacked you," Jet said, smirking. "And then they would have tried to take advantage of a pretty Princess like you."

"Hmph," was the only sound Azula said in response, but he could tell she also smirked.

"Aren't you glad we're here?" asked Jet, smoothly putting an arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him, her golden eyes glinting but with her eyebrow raised.

"Why are you _touching _me?"

"You know you like it."

Azula scoffed. "I _know _I could get much better men than you."

"Nah, I'm the best-looking one of them all. And I've got a great personality, don't you think?"

"Yeah, whatever," she said, shrugging his arm off.

"Ah, come on, Princess," he said.

"Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that or—"

"You'll smite me? Yeah, I remember," he smirked. "But you already did smite me, with—"

"Oh, _please_. Don't say something corny, like love," she laughed. His rough hands suddenly grabbed her arm gently, pulling her closer to him. "What are you doing now—?" she was about to ask, annoyed, but he brought his lips to hers. She was too shocked to do anything, and for the first time in her life she was speechless and unable to move, to resist, to _return _it...

"Um... Princess Azula?" The voice of her soldier broke the stupor, and she pushed Jet away hurriedly, a look of mingled fury and disgust on her face. Immediately, upon the look of his face, she received another bout of the feeling she came to know as guilt, but she answered her soldier.

"What?" she asked, a bit of anger directed at him. Jet walked into the ship, not glancing back at her until he closed the metal hatch.

"I've just come to say that the Fire Nation is in sight..."

"Fine. Head to Old Azulon and dock there. You are dismissed." As soon as he left, she rubbed her temples, feeling a huge headache coming on.

* * *

Bahamut led the attack, being the most destructive of the three beasts. Zuko and Katara rode on his back. The dragon swooped down right into the center of the military base, and immediately the guards bombarded them with attacks, but the three returned them with equal force. Alarms blared as another creature swooped down, Appa, full of other passengers.

Aang was the first to jump from his back, cushioning the ground with an air barrier as he landed. He spun his arms in a tight circle, and then thrust them out when a large tornado burst from his hands. He fed it with flames, which added more damage to the surrounding area. The whirling cyclone of fire and wind threw several enemies to the ground, a beacon of light for the rest of the group to land.

The steady _swishes _of Sokka's boomerang filled the night sky, knocking many more soldiers to the ground as he swung his machete in all directions. His reckless fighting awed allies and enemies alike. Suki was at his side, her light katana flashing all around, deflecting arrows and weapons to protect herself and Sokka.

"You're doing great, Sokka!" she yelled, smiling.

"So are you, Suki," he replied, clubbing a weaponless soldier on the head. "Let's go!" With her shield hand, she grasped Sokka's as they fought through the soldiers, heading deeper to cause more destruction.

Zuko and Aang both held their palms together, lighting a ball of flame that spread out into a horizontal arc when they pulled their arms apart. Aang jumped up into the air, unleashing a torrent of flame that annihilated many soldiers. Aang no longer cared about the monks' teachings. They were in war. He was the Avatar. He should get used to killing. He was doing it without a second thought—these people harmed his friends, his _family_. He easily batted away a jet of fire with his palm that was heading his way, and went back onto the attack.

Katara fought alongside Zuko and Aang, her water whip smacking away many of the soldiers. Sure, she wasn't causing as much destruction as them, but she didn't have enough of her element at her disposal. So, at various times, either Zuko or Aang had to stop an attack that was meant for her, and she increased her efforts every time this happened.

Not far away, Shuang was making good use of what little water he had, multiplying it into several tiny ice shards, creating blue dust that swirled toward the enemy. Katara copied this attack, grinning because Shuang thought of it himself. The small blizzard wound its way to the soldiers, knocking many aside with grunts of pain. _That boy is well on his way to becoming a master_, she thought. Beside him, Jin fought masterfully with her katana, wielding it like water itself. Katara finally realized that she must have learned the basics from Shuang, and then mastered the techniques herself.

Ty Lee and Keioushi were both fighting with their fists (Keioushi had the spiked, bronze ones) and they protected Song, who had her slingshot. She was easily able to fight without having to worry about defending herself, as she shot the tiny balls of different colors of powder, which had various effects on the soldiers. Mai and Nodoka protected her from behind, their own weapons flying skillfully through the air. They were a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

"Hurry up, Toph!" Malu said worriedly, looking around for signs of any soldiers.

"Why don't you try punching through metal, see how long it takes you?" she shot back, working tirelessly to punch through the thick, metal wall. Thank the Gods it wasn't as large as the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. "When working with metal, you have to touch it to bend it, unlike earth," she muttered.

"Here," Haru said. The two squabbling girls looked at him, and stopped what they were doing when they noticed the hole he made in the ground.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Toph muttered, jumping in without a second thought.

"Oh yeah, we can go under the wall!" Malu said with dawning understanding.

"Wow, you're starting to remind me of Ty Lee," Toph said to her, earthbending to drill through the tunnel.

"Is it me, or is it starting to get hot down here?" Haru asked as they walked through the darkness. Malu was clinging to his arm.

"We're getting closer to the volcano. I was right, it must be flowing somewhere down here! They have to have something to stop it from destroying their base," said Malu.

"Here we go," Toph said, and the sound of moving earth stopped. The sound of crunching metal replaced it, and they stepped out into the new room. They all stopped in fright when they saw at least a hundred soldiers all gathered in the hall, ready to go out to the fighting outside. "Crap."

* * *

"Hmm... the metalworking shop!" Sokka said triumphantly, kicking open the door.

"What's in here?" Suki asked him.

"They should have a boiler of some sort in here. It's also kinda close to the lava flow, so..."

"Oh, I see what you mean," Suki said with a grin. "You're so smart," she complimented, kissing him on the cheek. Sokka flushed.

Several workers building weapons fled when the two came into the room, and Sokka grinned widely when they saw what was inside.

He suspected that part of this place might have even been built _in _the volcano, since liquid hot magma passed through a small path around the edges of the room, probably used to heat the metal to create weapons.

"Jackpot," Sokka said, laying his blue eyes on giant vats of magma, kept moving by some inner mechanism to stop it from hardening. Some was gradually poured out into other unseen areas of the complex through some kind of hatch. Sokka got another idea. "We'll plug it up!" he shouted triumphantly. He ran towards the hatch, but ran into some kind of _wall_. He knocked on it.

"Is this made of... glass?" he asked, eyebrow raised curiously.

"No, it's much harder than glass... We can't break it!" Suki said.

"There's gotta be a switch somewhere. Let's look," Sokka said.

"What are you doing?" a deep voice suddenly shouted, and a jet of flames suddenly flew towards them. Suki was the first to react, crossing her golden fans in front of her to catch the flames, spreading them apart to dissipate them.

"Nice try," she said, smirking. She ducked under another jet of fire, throwing up another fan that deflected the flames back to him. The fans of the Kyoshi Warriors were blessed by the spirit of Kyoshi herself. Her fans were thrown at the man, gliding through the air and slashing him on his sides. He growled in fury.

As they fought, Sokka searched for some kind of switch to shut the hatch.

Suki whipped out her katana, slashing gracefully at the man. He jumped up, kicking a vertical line of golden fire at her that was blocked by her wrist shield. She ran up and diagonally cut him from below, and he stumbled back, bleeding.

"You stupid wretch!" he yelled furiously.

"Aha!" Sokka yelled, running up out of nowhere and pushing the man into some kind of terminal in the wall, and it pushed some kind of lever. The man slumped to the ground, unmoving. The metal hatch slowly slid closed, and then an alarm went off.

"I had no idea... look at this kind of technology... is the Fire Nation that much more advanced than the rest of the world?" Suki asked, looking at the odd mechanism unsurely.

"Doesn't matter now, we should get out of here before it overflows with lava and EXPLODES!" Sokka said dramatically, grabbing her by the hand and running away.

* * *

"I am so ANGRY!" Toph yelled, kicking and stubbing her toe. The soldiers outnumbered them, and the three were quickly captured. They were put into a jail cell, but Toph immediately broke out by bending the metal bars and fighting everyone with them. Eventually, they settled for putting her in a wooden crate. Fortunately, now only one guard was watching them. She wished she taught Haru to metal bend. She cursed her stupid pride for not doing so.

"Now what?" Haru asked glumly.

"Watch," Malu said, smirking. She jumped through the bars, turning into air and appearing in front of their guard, easily dispatching him with a funnel of wind. She snatched her staff from the storage cabinet and pulled the keys from the man's belt, freeing Haru and Toph. Haru also took the man's map.

"So we can find where the lava flow is," he explained. The three ran down the metal hallways, going deeper and deeper into the military base. Soon, they were able to get there easily, not running into any trouble.

Toph threw open the metal door, and they were immediately greeted by hot air. The room was gigantic, split by a metal chasm with a steady flow of lava streaming by the bottom, and a large wall of metal that stopped the rest of the flow. It was split down the middle, and Haru deduced it was possible to get it opened. As soon as he stepped into the room he had the sensation of stepping into a furnace.

"So we just open that, and it just lets in all of the lava?" Malu asked herself. She was sweating already.

"OUCH! YOU STUPID F—" Toph cursed, jumping out of the room. The metal floor was too hot for her bare feet. Malu turned into air again, jumping across the chasm to the other side.

"What is this?" she asked nobody in particular, eyeing some odd terminal. "It's got words on it... but it's all technological."

"Huh? Be careful!" Haru shouted across to her. "What does it say?"

"I have to pull this level to 'open the emergency self-destruct gate,'" she said, scratching her head.

"Sounds good. Do it!" Toph yelled, rubbing her burnt foot. Malu pulled on the lever with both hands, and instantly another siren blared as the metal wall slowly began to open. Malu quickly went back to the other side. Red hot magma burst through as it opened, built up and constantly heated, it flowed through the place easily. Haru and Malu hurriedly ran through the door, slamming it shut and running, Toph right behind them. "Aw man, I wanted to bend magma..." she said.

"Maybe next time, Toph," Haru said, grinning. Malu was running ahead, using airbending to gain speed. She grabbed Haru by the hand and he hastily grabbed Toph as she pulled them along, struggling to stay on their feet.

* * *

It felt like the fighting was going on forever. More and more soldiers were swarming out of the base, and it was beginning to overwhelm them. They would have left, if it wasn't for Toph, Haru, Malu, Sokka, and Suki still inside.

Suddenly an explosion went through the night, causing several people to stop fighting. Near the base of the volcano, lava shot out of the ground and into the air, showering the soldiers that were unlucky enough to be close to it. And then, a moment after that, all around the military base magma was shooting from the metal buildings, and they were saved from harm by Zuko and Aang. Soon after, Sokka and Suki were sprinting towards them, a flow of lava following right behind them. Toph, Haru, and Malu emerged from a building covered completely in magma, saved only by Toph and Haru bending some kind of black rock.

"Appa! Let's go!" Aang yelled to his friend. Everyone was boarding as fast as they could, while soldiers were trying to escape harm. At the same time, the volcano was still erupting, and now that it wasn't being halted, the lava was streaming down into the base. Some soldiers tried grabbing onto Yanna—some trying to stab their weapons into her—but they were fought off by Malu.

At last, everyone got on the beasts, and wasting no time, they flew away. As they flew up through the clouds, Sokka looked back once last time, to see the lava already hardening and covering the entire destroyed military base in black rock.

"I'd say we did a good job," he said. "And you guys didn't wanna go!"

"Whatever you say, Sokka," Suki said, shaking her head.

On Yanna, Haru edged slowly closer to Malu. "You did great," he said shyly. She blushed, thankful that it was nighttime and he couldn't see her.

"Thanks, so did you," said Malu, gripping Yanna's reins so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

Ty Lee yawned, interrupting them. "I'm so _exhausted_! Let's go somewhere to rest."

* * *

Down on the ground, Zuko approached Aang while they were setting up camp.

"Oh, hey Zuko," Aang said to his firebending teacher.

"That was a good bit of firebending back there," Zuko said, staring up into the sky. "Before we go to sleep, I want to see if you can make lightning..."

Aang's eyes widened. Lightning, the attack that nearly caused his death. He nodded solemnly. Zuko showed him the motion, telling him to practice it. Aang found it slightly complex, but not too difficult. On the third try he got it.

"Okay. Lightning," Zuko said, taking a deep breath. He seemed to be mentally preparing himself. "You need a balanced mind and soul. That was why it was difficult for me at first. Can you do this? Can you separate your positive and negative energies?"

"The monks taught me how to do that. It helped with meditation. It gave me peace of mind," Aang responded.

"Good. Now when you separate the positive and negative energies..."

"It creates imbalance."

"Yes. In that moment, the positive and negative energies come pressing together again. When this happens, you must release and guide it, and create lightning. This is much different than normal firebending," Zuko said sagely. "Are you ready?"

Aang nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. There could be no more insecurities, no more avoiding it. He was the Avatar, and it was his job to bring peace to the world. He could kill the Fire Lord. No, he _would _kill the Fire Lord.

There was no more turning back now.

Aang began separating his positive energies—the good things. He thought about his newfound love for Toph, and his mastery over the other three elements, and all of his new friends... separating it from his heartbroken memories of Katara, and then his pain, and finally Azula.

All of it came crashing back together, and he felt every single emotion he had ever felt, just in that tiniest second.

Eyes still closed, he went through the well-rehearsed motion, and he felt Zuko doing the same. Lightning trailed from his fingers as they moved, and the raw power begged to be let out. Aang let it, guiding it into one direction—up.

The two forks of lightning sailed into the sky with a deafening _bang_, alerting the members of their party that were just getting to sleep.

Straightening himself out, Zuko turned to him. "You've done it. You are ready to fight the Fire Lord... my father. You are a firebending master."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hope you guys liked the chapter!! His firebending training may seem a little quick, but his determination to master it and the short time he has combined with Aang's normal skill at bending, it seems kind of reasonable. Also, Zuko began teaching Aang back at Chapter 14. Not only that, but Katara mastered waterbending in such a short time that it's kind of scary.**

**Oh, before anyone asks, Aang and Haru will never learn how to bend metal. That is a strictly Toph-only skill :D And perhaps the Dai Li, since I still haven't figured out if it's real metal or metal-coated earth, like some of you said. Both are possible.**

**Um... I wanted to say something else, but right now I really can't remember. Hopefully the next chapter (or two) will be out before season 3 starts, but I hope you guys won't abandon my story once it starts up again:)**

**Please review! Next chapter... the GAang gets to the city of Old Azulon...**


	27. Old Azulon

**Author's Note: Sorry about not updating earlier. I was kind of sick the days I was planning to update, and I never got around to it.**

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Just because season three started, it does not mean I am planning to quit this story! I've come this far, and I will see this story through to the end!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 27: Old Azulon_

"We have almost a full week left until the Eclipse," Katara sighed, streaming the water through the air.

"But I still haven't mastered airbending!" Malu said, frustrated. "I can't get that stupid air barrier to stay."

"You'll get it soon," Haru encouraged her.

"But you've mastered earth and Shuang's mastered water... I'm the only one left who hasn't mastered anything!" she said, circling the air around her again to form the barrier. Aang, practicing with her, swung his staff at it. It blocked the attack, but right after it dissipated.

"You're not concentrating enough," Aang told her. "Airbending is not about anger. It is about peace of mind and a bit of lightheartedness," he smiled.

"You've told me that already," Malu said, slumping. "I guess I'll go meditate..."

They were at a small plateau, one of the few in the Fire Nation. The decrepit city of Old Azulon was in the distance, and they were planning to wait there until it was time to head to Sozin City. Once the small group disbanded, Katara walked up to Zuko.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked him, tilting her head.

"Over those mountains is Sozin City. I haven't seen my father in three years..." he said, strapping some of their food to Bahamut's back. "I hope he will know that I am stronger when we do kill him."

"You _are _strong Zuko, don't forget that," she said, smiling. He couldn't help but smile back. That always brightened up his day. "You are a..." she stopped herself, seeming to think about her words. "You are a very strong bender," she finished quietly, holding her mother's betrothal necklace. She suddenly walked away. Zuko was confused, but he didn't think too much of it.

* * *

Jet was, to put it simply, hurt. Not physically hurt, like what Long Feng did to him, or mentally hurt, like when he was hypnotized, but emotionally hurt. When he kissed Azula, her look of revulsion and anger hurt him more than any physical wound he ever had.

Worst of all, he didn't know _why _it hurt so much. He had been turned down by plenty of girls before, during his time as a Freedom Fighter. Smellerbee turned him down hard a few years back, but he didn't find himself caring much. Back then, he was just a foolish boy looking for a girlfriend, for no apparent reason.

But Azula... she was so much _more_. She was even prettier now, letting her hair out in a more loose fashion. She had a long ponytail (Jet never knew her hair was so long!) and the two pieces of hair on the side of her face that were always there were even longer.

But why did she turn him down? Was it because he was a peasant? He no longer cared that she was Fire Nation; she had actively helped out their side, the right side. And now she was waiting in Old Azulon for the Avatar. They were finally going to help Aang!

All other thoughts driven from his mind, he went above deck excitedly. He saw Longshot and Smellerbee standing together, staring out at the ocean.

"Where is everybody?" he asked them. The two of them turned, noticing his presence.

"Hey Jet. Azula and Kei went out into town," Smellerbee said to him. Longshot nodded.

"Thanks guys, but we should all go," he said. "Maybe we'll see Aang."

* * *

Song walked through the city streets, staring all around her in pity of the townspeople. This town was a town neglected by the Fire Lord, and the people were here to show that. Beggars lined the streets, and even though Song walked alone, she wasn't afraid. Her friends were all around the town.

She stared up into the bright blue sky, taking a deep breath of satisfaction and enjoying the little time they had left. Her wicker basket was in her hand, filled with food. She wanted to have a small picnic to herself before they had to do more dangerous things again.

She wasn't afraid of going off to war, mostly just a little overwhelmed. As soon as she met Jin, Haru, and Shuang, she knew life would be an adventure for her. But she never knew she'd find herself with such heroes! She was a friend of the Avatar, and other master benders. They were going to make a difference in the world, and to know that she would play a part in it... it was a nice feeling. She never knew her life would have meaning beyond healing sick or wounded soldiers. And after all of their adventuring, she just wanted a little rest in the form of a picnic.

"What do we have here?" a hissing voice asked her from the shadows, an alleyway. Song kept walking, trying not to look at the man. Before she could fully pass the alley, he stopped her with a knife to her throat. "When I ask you a question, I expect you to answer me!" Song nodded, feeling no fear. She didn't think he'd kill her. He just wanted her money. "What is a pretty young girl doing all by herself in a city such as this?" he hissed in her ear.

She was about to open her mouth to answer, when another voice interrupted them. "Get away from her!" The bandit holding a knife to her throat was suddenly pulled away. Song spun around quickly, snatching his knife out of the air as the man was thrown to the ground. The bandit quickly scrambled away, looking at them fearfully. Song looked to the man who saved her, and was surprised to see a Fire Nation soldier. More surprising, however, was that he didn't wear his helmet.

Judging from his younger looks, Song guessed that he was a recruit. "Thank you," she said gratefully, and he nodded, his bright golden eyes glinting. She was also not afraid of the soldier. Truthfully, she had nothing against the Fire Nation, despite the scars on her legs. Song was not one to seek revenge. A person was a person, and even though everyone had different beliefs, they were still human. She had healed many firebenders that passed her way in the past.

"You're welcome... but that man was right. What _are _you doing here?" the soldier asked, a worried look passing over his face. He was right, she didn't fit in. Most of these people wore little more than rags.

"I was... visiting family," she quickly lied. "I am from the capitol. And now I'm going to have a picnic by the hillside."

"By yourself?"

"Well, yes. I like the scenery. It is so quiet and peaceful," she said, truthfully this time. Outside of the city, there were rolling green hills, stretching to the ocean, ending at a cliff.

"Allow me to escort you!" he said cheerfully, holding out an arm to her. She took it, giggling slightly. She didn't really mind the company and she had plenty of food. This young man seemed trustworthy, and Song was a good judge of character.

"What is your name?" she asked, tilting her head.

"My name is Kei, and yours?"

"Song," she said, smiling.

* * *

Zuko walked through town, trying to find something to do. They all had to get to know this place, since they would be staying here for several days. It was perfect—it was mostly ignored and close to the Fire Nation. It was a great place to lay low until the Eclipse.

He felt a little uncomfortable here, with the worst of all the peasants. Who knew what they could do in desperation? Zuko made a silent promise to these people. When he was Fire Lord, the old city would be fixed up. No longer would they live the lives of a peasant. It was inhuman that they were forced to live like this.

He stopped short when he recognized someone at the end of the road, someone he was definitely not prepared to see. How could this be? They were followed? He sent a fire blast at her, before she could do anything to him. She had to be stopped before she could cause any of their group harm.

The girl heard it coming, and she effortlessly ducked below it and faced Zuko. He immediately knew it was her, even though her hair was different, even though she was alone, and she was in a peasant town. Her smirk and the knowing glint of her golden eyes gave her away. His blood ran cold.

Princess Azula had found them.

* * *

Toph sat as the two airbenders trained. Aang tried to make it fun for the struggling Malu by bouncing on his own air barrier, encouraging her to do the same. Toph thought it was ridiculous, but she stayed with them all the same.

Malu was much lighter on her feet than Aang was, and Toph thought she knew why. Malu was only an airbender, but Aang had the powers of all four elements. His earthbending caused him to be closer to the ground, and he felt comfort with the earth under him, like all earthbenders. Toph smirked; she had taught him well.

The boy had also taught her so much, and for that she was grateful. Now, she knew that life was more than darkness and vibrations and sounds. A few days ago, she had craved to see, and whenever Aang or Katara wasn't able to heal her, she was jealous of the others. That was a first for Toph—she was never jealous of sight. Once she realized this, she was okay with not being able to see. She told Aang to only let her see sparingly, so that she could see only the truly wonderful things.

It gave her a new awareness for life. She knew so much more and she was so much wiser. It taught her a lesson, too. Yes, sight was an amazing gift to have, but at times she appreciated her 'blind seeing' even more. She was able to do things others couldn't, and that realization helped her the most.

"You finally did it, Malu!" Aang's shout interrupted her thoughts. Sure enough, Malu's erected air barrier was staunch and unmoving when Toph sent a boulder at her. Malu's following grin was a happy one. "You're that much closer to being an airbending master."

"All you need to do now is create your own ability, Malu!" Haru said happily to her. He was the only other person watching. For several weeks, the earthbender and airbender were becoming very good friends, Toph noticed.

"Have anything in mind?" Aang asked her.

"Well, yes," Malu said, her air barrier dissipating. She seemed unsure of something, wringing her fingers behind her back and staring at the ground. Toph sensed a little fear from her, but it seemed Aang didn't notice. Surprisingly, Haru did.

"What's wrong, Malu?" he asked her worriedly.

"Go ahead, show me," Aang encouraged, smiling. Malu nodded, holding both of her hands to her side, flat palms facing each other. Air began circling between them, until it was a quickly spinning mass of wind that was unleashed on a tree. It cut clean through the thick tree. Malu looked at him, as if seeking approval. "What was that?" the boy asked, bewildered.

"I've had it in mind for a long time. It's called the razor disc," the girl replied, a little meekly. Aang looked faintly disappointed.

"That's not really airbender style..." he said. Malu slumped.

"I knew you'd say that. I am sorry, Sifu Aang," she said, bowing respectfully.

"That move can cause pain on others—much pain. You saw how it cut right through that tree," he said sadly. He was right. It was a very thick tree.

"Well, the times are changing," she said, staring at him hopefully. "You saw what my people were like—they carried weapons. We are in war, Aang. I... thought it was necessary."

"I think she's right," Toph suddenly said. "This is war. There's no time for wishy-washy nice attacks. I think it's time for the airbenders to get a little offensive. You know how quickly they were eliminated a hundred years ago."

Aang suddenly seemed several years older, and looked as if he were in a lot of pain. His grey eyes hardened. "I guess you're right. Good job, Malu. You're a master."

And then he walked away.

Toph sighed. "I'll go after him." The other two nodded, Malu looking a little worried.

He wasn't too far away, but as soon as she came up to him, he spoke.

"You're right."

"About what?"

"About airbenders. We really have changed. The whole _world _has changed."

"Well, I _was _a little rude about it," Toph said apologetically, scratching her head.

"You have a right to be. I guess I got so upset because I want to keep a little bit of the monks inside of me... and they never approved of doing that kind of attack. But I need to move on, I think. Malu was right. We are in war, and that calls for drastic measures. Thanks, Toph," he said, turning to her.

"Heh, no problem, Twinkletoes," she said, pecking him on the cheek. Both of them blushed profusely.

* * *

"That's no way to greet your sister, Zuzu," Azula said with her characteristic smirk. They stood several feet away from each other, Zuko in an attacking stance.

"What do you want?" he growled at her, even though he knew the answer.

"The Avatar, of course. I have no interest in you," she responded, flicking her hair out of her eyes.

_She isn't after me? Is this another one of Azula's tricks?_ he thought.

Zuko decided he would protect his pupil and his friends. He punched a fire blast at her, which was easily destroyed.

"You must have misunderstood me," she said, straightening from his most recent blow. "I want to _help _the Avatar," she continued, as if playing with the word. "I am not here to turn you in to father."

"You're lying!" he growled, sending another fire blast. _Azula always lies, Azula always lies... _he repeated the mantra in his head.

"You are such a fool, Zuzu," she said. "You want to fight? Let's see if you can keep up with me now!" Blue fire flew from her fingertips, but Zuko ducked under it and kicked an arc of red flames at her. She jumped above it, her own fireballs coming from her fists as she went through the air. A wall of fire completely blocked them. "Come on, big brother, you can do better than that!" she taunted. "Where is the Avatar? Where are Mai and Ty Lee?"

He was about to attack her again, when a new voice joined them. "Azula!"

Zuko looked to the newcomer, totally surprised to see Jet, the boy he met long ago in Ba Sing Se. "Why are you attacking Azula?" he said furiously, bringing his swords to attack Zuko. The firebender's broadswords blocked them, and in that moment, Jet recognized him. With a look of confusion, he backed away.

Zuko held both of his swords out to his enemies, waiting to see who would attack first. Why was Jet there? Wasn't he captured by the Dai Li? What was going on? The boy had attacked him for being a firebender... _Wait! Why is he with Azula? She's a firebender, too!_

Jet didn't say anything. He was too confused. Azula looked distinctly uncomfortable. Zuko wanted to ask what was going on, but that was extremely inappropriate for the situation.

"Azula!" another voice shouted. This one was female, and one he recognized well. Water flew towards Azula, wrapping around her arm. The firebender struggled, but didn't attack Katara. The snake of water slammed Azula against a building by her arm, and then solidified there.

"Jet, mind doing something?" Azula said to him, annoyed. But the Freedom Fighter was frozen.

Katara apparently just noticed him, and she released her hold on the frozen water, and ran to hug him. "Jet!" she shouted. Jet dropped his swords, and Zuko sheathed them, confused. "I thought you were dead!" her voice broke, and he knew she was crying. _What the _hell _is going on?_

"Katara?" Jet asked, looking at her. His arms stayed at his sides. "What's... going on?"

Suki, who was apparently with Katara, held her katana out to Azula. The Princess didn't move, but she melted the ice away. "Katara!" the Kyoshi warrior shouted. "What are we going to do with her?"

The waterbender suddenly pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes. Zuko was now in a stance, facing Azula, so she wouldn't attack.

"What's going on?" another voice asked—Jin. Shuang was with her, looking severely confused.

"That's something we'd all like to know," Zuko answered, not taking his eyes off of his sister.

"Jet!"

"Azula!"

The others looked to the newcomers, but Zuko recognized both voices—Smellerbee shouted for Jet, while Mai saw Azula.

"Everyone's here, aren't they?" Azula asked, smirking.

"Someone _please _explain!"

"Alright, alright, everyone shut up!" Azula shouted above them, irritated.

"Let's get her out of here," Katara said unwaveringly, looking right at Azula.

"We can trust her, Katara!" Jet said to her. Katara looked at him, appalled.

"Trust Azula? She nearly killed Aang!" She kept her eyes on Azula, and then added, "Don't make a move, or we'll kill you."

Azula sighed. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Very carefully, they were all able to lead Azula outside of the city, towards their camp. Azula looked intrigued at the second bison and dragon, but didn't say anything. Jet begged to them the whole way to trust the Princess.

"Someone go get Aang, Toph, and Sokka," Katara ordered, still staring right at Azula. Ty Lee, who was at the camp, looked totally surprised at Azula, and very scared. Shuang and Jin nodded to Katara, complying with her order. Everyone else was silent.

"Well?" Azula asked, looking at Katara expectantly.

"We're not letting you say or do anything until Toph and Aang get here," Katara answered aggressively.

"But why won't you believe me?" Jet asked her.

"You've been brainwashed once, Jet. There's no telling what Azula has done to you," the waterbender said. Jet looked angry, but sat down on the ground, staring at Azula.

"Katara, she hasn't brainwashed anyone," Smellerbee said to her. "I'd know—you know what I'm like." Katara finally took her eyes off Azula (but Zuko didn't) to look into Smellerbee's eyes. A moment of understanding passed between the two girls, and after about a minute, Katara nodded.

"I'm sorry, Jet," the waterbender apologized. "But we can't trust Azula. She has done way too much harm to us."

"I understand," he said quietly, going to stand next to Azula. He grasped her hand, as a way to show comfort. Azula did nothing, but Katara and Zuko had no idea what to make of this.

Suddenly, two speeding blurs, fast as the wind, came from somewhere beyond the city, stopping right in front of everybody. Aang immediately earthbended Azula into the ground, so she couldn't do anything. The second speeding blur was Malu.

"What do you want, Azula?" the Avatar growled at her. He was in a stance, despite the fact that Azula couldn't fight at the moment. He totally ignored Jet.

"I've come to help," she said offhandedly, and Zuko knew that if she could, she would have inspected her nails. Aang looked dumbfounded.

"And why this sudden change of heart?" Zuko asked.

"It was mostly his fault," she said, tilting her head to Jet. "And mostly Uncle's... and mothers."

Zuko suddenly felt overwhelmingly dizzy, and he stumbled. He fell to one knee, raging. She found Ursa!

"What did you do to her?" Zuko demanded, black smoke coming from his nostrils.

"Nothing... we are on good terms now," she said quietly, staring at the ground. "I was wrong, okay? Isn't that good enough?" For the first time, she sounded sincere.

"You're lying!" Zuko yelled, holding his palm up into the air, where fire was born.

"No, she's not," Aang said. "I can tell. She's telling the truth. About everything," he said plainly. "I'm almost positive."

"Almost isn't good enough," Katara said.

"I know. We need Toph, she's better at this than me." Zuko stopped, as the fire in his hand died. Ursa was still okay.

"What do you think, Mai?" Ty Lee whispered to her friend.

"I don't know what to think," she responded from in Nodoka's protective arms.

_Azula always lies... _He thought about saying it aloud, when Toph came, followed by Sokka, Jin, Haru, and Shuang. Now everyone was at camp... Except for Song, he noted.

"I dunno, she deff seems to be telling the truth," Keioushi said, putting in his two cents. Everyone ignored him.

"Okay, let's interrogate her," Toph said, cracking her knuckles. She lowered her hands to the ground. Aang and Haru followed her example.

"Are you really on our side?" Katara asked.

"Yes, even my crew is," she answered, sighing. Toph did nothing.

"How did you meet Jet?" the waterbender asked again.

"He attacked me in the woods, weeks ago."

"We are friends now," Jet said. "I trust her completely."

"How did you know where we are?" Katara asked.

"The rebels told me your plan. I knew my brother would want to start south, so we've been waiting in Old Azulon for you," Azula answered.

"Where is Uncle?" Zuko cut in.

"He is sick, and mother is taking care of him in Jihen," Azula responded quickly, as if she knew the question would come up.

"Why are you helping us?" Katara demanded.

"I've realized that the Fire Lord doesn't care. He will keep fighting this war until there is nothing left to oppose us. I want it to end."

"Toph, is she telling the truth?" Sokka asked.

"Yes," Toph said, as if regretfully, "all of it." Everyone visibly relaxed, except for Katara and Zuko.

"I still have no reason to trust you," she said, jabbing her finger at her. Azula looked nonplussed as Toph freed her from the ground.

"I'm still confused," Sokka said.

"More explanations tomorrow. I'm tired," Katara said, stomping off to her tent. At that moment, Song walked up to their camp.

"What's going on?"

* * *

Later in the evening, Jet walked over to Azula, who was sitting by a tree not far from camp, staring out at the ocean and the lapping waves. Everyone else was asleep, except for those still edgy around Azula, namely Zuko, Nodoka, Aang, Sokka, and Suki. Kei joined them later, once Smellerbee went into town to find him, and as soon as he came he and Song talked for hours.

"Are you alright?" Jet asked her, sitting at her side.

"I guess," she responded, sounding tired.

"What's on your mind?"

"I think I know what my brother felt now. Life seems... difficult... at the moment. It was rarely like this for me."

"Life is a constant struggle," Jet said, quoting Iroh. He smirked, and Azula smirked back. "There are many twists and turns, but eventually it will all be worth it in the end."

"How far away is the end?" Azula asked wearily.

"As far as you want to make it," Jet responded, shrugging. He put his arm around Azula comfortingly, and she made no effort to stop him. "Come on, let's go to sleep." As he started to get up, Azula grabbed his sleeve, pulling him closer to her. Confused, he didn't resist, but she kissed him, long and hard. Jet blinked.

"You're right, it's been a long day," she said. And then she walked off, going to her sleeping bag, leaving a dumbfounded Jet behind her.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yeahh, they finally met up with Azula! I hope I did this well, but to me it seemed a bit rushed. Lol, without Toph, they'd be so lost.**

**Oh, and about the sleeping bags and stuff, just assume they got them from Azula's ship, lol.**

**I need everyone's opinion on this—should Azula's soldiers come with them as they walk to the Fire Nation, or should the soldiers go on their ship?**

**I hope everyone liked the season premiere, and I hope even more that you'll stay with me for this story! Please review!**


	28. The Haiki Cliffs

**Author's Note: Okay, I know people are getting mad now, but this is the last chapter before the really good stuff starts. My twists, turns, and surprises will all start after this chapter. Just be patient :) Oh, and next chapter is going to be another one of those double ones, like when I did "The Ghost-Witch" and "The Hidden Village" of airbenders. The next two-parts will be called... the Day of Black Sun. Unfortunately, since it's two chapters (and a long two chapters at that) it will probably take a lot longer to come out. Secrets will be revealed, there will be lots of action, new villains, and dare I say it, **_**character death.**_

**Thanks so much for the reviews guys! I tried to get this chapter out faster for you all.**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 28: Haiki Cliffs _

So far, Azula had done nothing to gain anyone's trust. Sure, her soldiers never attacked them (even though they knew the Avatar Gang was there) but she had ordered them to not attack Zuko once before. And that was when she was trying to take him home as a prisoner. Zuko knew she was a good liar, but could she possibly be good enough to lie to Toph? Could she be the first to get passed the blind earthbender, the human lie detector?

Ever since they first met up with the Fire Princess, she barely spoke to any of them. Most of their group, like Zuko, Katara, Aang, Sokka, Mai, and Ty Lee avoided her as much as they could. Others, like Suki, argued with her whenever the circumstances allowed it. Only Jet stood by her side, defending her from everyone.

Oddly, Katara was glad to see him. The two of them caught up, and at first Zuko thought it was very weird that they both knew the boy. Zuko and Jet both acknowledged each other, but other than that, there was no interaction between them.

For the few days until the Eclipse, most of the group really tried to take the time to get to know each other. There was no more training and traveling to do. All they had to do was wait. Katara and Jin, it turned out, were very friendly with each other, and the two of them, plus Suki, were on their way to becoming extremely close friends. Sokka and Shuang always talked about fighting and all kinds of weapons. Nodoka and Longshot, well, they had a silent companionship. Toph and Smellerbee enjoyed playing tricks on other members of their group, but mostly Sokka. Zuko thought Kei was genuinely on their side, because he was always gentlemanly and kind to Song. The two of them got on well.

But what surprised Zuko most of all were Aang and Azula. On the day before they were going to set out to Sozin City, the young Avatar approached the Princess, who was sitting by herself. Zuko listened to them.

"You know, I can tell you really have changed," Aang said to her quietly. Neither of them looked at each other.

"I guess. What's it to you?" she replied. Zuko thought that she looked so tired, or in pain, these days.

"I don't know. I always thought that you'd stay as our enemy, and we'd eventually have to..." He trailed off.

"Kill me?" Aang nodded.

"Why do you really want to join us anyway?" he asked.

Azula snorted. "It's not like I want to be friends with you or anything. We merely have a common interest."

"And what is that?"

"Kill the Fire Lord," she responded.

"Any particular reason why?" he prodded.

"Yes, but I'm not about to tell you," she snapped. They were silent for a few moments.

"So what's going on between you and Jet?" Aang prodded again. Zuko thought he had the tiniest hint of a smirk.

"Why would you want to know?" she asked, unconsciously bending in her palm. Aang did the same, holding a leaf in his hand, which was blown into the air in a whirlwind.

"I don't see how you'd even _look _at Jet. I don't understand why he doesn't try to kill you, either. Jet hates firebenders."

"He did at first," Azula answered, laughing slightly. "I don't know... Jet confuses me."

"He confuses _you_? He told us it was the other way around," Aang laughed.

"_What did he tell you_?" she turned on him, fuming. Aang put up his arms in a gesture of surrender.

"Uh... Enough," Aang said sheepishly. Azula sighed, relaxing again.

"I'm going to kill that boy," she muttered.

"I think you can learn something from Jet."

"Yeah? Like what?" she said disbelievingly.

"Friendship?" Aang said. He seemed to be afraid of her following outburst. He was surprised when she burst out laughing.

"I never knew you were so corny, Avatar!"

Aang grinned. "Give it a try, though."

"Yeah, whatever. So you think you're ready to fight the Fire Lord?" she asked, changing subjects. Aang quickly sobered.

"I hope so. I have mastered air, water, earth, and fire. Hopefully... it will be enough," he said quietly.

"I'll be there, too," Azula said, staring out at the ocean. Aang switched his gaze to her, a look of silent surprise on his face. "I need to fight him." Aang nodded, standing up.

"I'm glad you're on our side," he said. Azula didn't answer. "Oh, and you can call me Aang."

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want," she said, causing Aang to grin.

* * *

The next day, everyone somberly packed up the camp. The tension in the air was thick, and ready to snap at any given moment. Everyone steered clear of those with short fuses.

This was it. The Solar Eclipse would start in less than two days. They were going to begin their journey through the Haiki Cliffs, the shortest path to Sozin City from Old Azulon—a path that most were afraid to use. Azula's soldiers left a few days before on their ship, and their invasion plan was to circle around the continent and attack the Fire Nation from the western side. This had two advantages. One, the Jihen rebels wouldn't mistake them as enemies and attack, and two, nobody would be expecting it. Once those men got through the city's western defenses, which were the mountains, they would easily be able to cause a distraction from the inside.

The group of twenty kids passed through Old Azulon with no trouble at all, and crossed the small distance to the looming mountains. A thin, winding path led up into them, and they all walked up without pausing.

"Someone remind me why nobody passes through here?" Shuang asked, looking around.

"It's actually supposed to be really dangerous," Ty Lee informed him. "But it might just be fun!"

"It's supposed to be impossible to get through," Azula interjected. "I don't know why in your right minds..."

"It's impossible to get through _without _an earthbender," Kei said, interrupting her. Zuko looked at the soldier, raising an eyebrow. He was shocked that someone was able to interrupt Azula and not get burned to death.

"And we have three masters," Haru pointed out, smiling.

"We've got to keep everyone from getting hurt," Aang said to Toph and Haru.

"Yeah, so stay on your toes!" Toph suddenly yelled, stomping her foot into the ground. Rock rose under Haru, and he stepped out of the way just in time, grumbling.

"I just want to get through here without losing my mind," Mai said, shaking her head.

"Man, I wish I was an earthbender. That would be fun," Keioushi said, punching a fist into the side of the mountain.

"You'd be stuck training with Toph all day, then," Nodoka said, to the astonished gasps of the others.

"_What_?!" Toph screeched. Momo jumped off of her shoulder, alarmed.

"What I don't understand is," Jet said, talking before an argument broke out, "why we aren't riding on Appa or those other two."

"'Those other two' have names, you know!" Malu said angrily.

"Because..." Aang said, looking as if he was thinking up an excuse. "...I don't know?"

"So you're making us walk?" Azula said dangerously.

"It's better than flying right into Sozin City. We don't want anyone to see us," Katara snapped at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Little Miss Perfect," Azula shot back. Toph snickered.

"What did you just call me?!" Katara fumed. The two of them stopped, but the others kept walking.

"You have a problem with that name?" Azula asked, inspecting her nails. Zuko grabbed Katara by the arm, pulling her away from Azula.

"I'm not done with her yet! Let me go!" she protested.

"Don't antagonize her," Zuko said to Katara. "We don't want her as our enemy again."

"Who says you can tell me what to do?" the waterbender shot at him.

"I do," he said simply.

"Yeah? Why?"

"Because I care and I don't want you to get hurt," he replied. Katara was silent for a moment.

"You mean you don't think I can take care of—"

"Uh-oh," Aang, who was in the lead, said, stopping short. The others stopped right behind him.

The mountain they were walking next to turned out to be a volcano, and its constant flow of lava cut off the path. It was much too wide to build a rock bridge over. They could not go around it or head in another direction—the place was called the Haiki Cliffs for a reason. The drop to their right meant certain death.

"What are we gonna do?" Ty Lee asked, holding her nose. The smell of sulfur hung in the air, giving off a smell of something rotten. Toph cracked her knuckles.

"Magma bending!" she exclaimed, getting into a stance. Aang nodded, gliding over to the other side. The two were able to bend most of the magma out of the way, especially with the help of Zuko, Azula, and Haru. Katara warily watched Azula as she bended the element out of the way.

The mixed magma and rock was floating in the air above them, with little droplets of orange floating luminously. Smellerbee reached out to touch one, but a hand on her shoulder from Longshot stopped her. The scene was hypnotic, in a way.

"Hurry up, guys!" Toph yelled to them. Nodding, they all ran through the tunnel of fire, and then Toph let go of it to run through, followed by Zuko, Azula, and Haru. Finally, Aang released his hold on it, and the lava splashed down onto the path again.

* * *

Later that night, they made camp when they met a cave on the path. Nothing inhabited it, so they chose to spend the night there. The three firebenders in the group lit torches, and the earthbenders made a depression in the walls and ground to put them in. Almost everyone was outside though.

The path descended down into the valley, where there was a large clearing of brightly colored flowers. They looked much like pandalilies, but once night fell, everything began to glow. None of them knew why, until Katara ran into the small field, laughing and spinning around. The lights flew up in the air, swarming all around and lighting up the night. The lights seemed to be insects of some sort.

"This is so nice!" Jin gasped.

"Who knew the Fire Nation had such beauty?" Suki said, her eyes twinkling.

"Whatever," Sokka said, walking back into the cave. Suki glared at him, but he ignored it. Nodoka, Longshot, and Zuko followed Sokka.

"Zuko!" Katara called to him, and when she did, the lights fluttered again. "Stay out here."

"Hmph," was all he said, but he nodded.

Once everyone was starting to get bored again, Sokka came back outside. Suki was the only one still there, holding out one of her fans. The glowing reflected off of it, making her fan shine like the sun.

"You know, it is kind of nice," he said to her. She turned around to meet him. Offering a weak smile, she nodded.

"Yeah, it really is," she responded. The two were standing in the middle of the field, and the luminescent lights swirled all around them. Above the two of them, the moon shone brightly.

"What's on your mind? It can't be just these glow bugs, is it?" he asked, and she smiled again.

"The same thing that's on everyone's mind. I can't shake the feeling of..."

"Foreboding? Like something bad is gonna happen?" he guessed. Suki nodded affirmatively.

"I'm... kind of scared, I guess," she admitted.

"We all are," Sokka said. The two of them said nothing for several minutes, just sitting amongst the flowers and enjoying each other's company. Who knew how much longer they'd have together? He absently picked one of the flowers, placing it in Suki's hair. He was surprised when the glowing insects went over to it, completing the scene.

_Spirits, she's so beautiful, _he thought to himself. _I must be the luckiest guy in the world._

And then he thought, _I think... this is as good of a time as any..._

"Suki," he said to her.

"Yeah?"

"All this time... ever since I met you... there wasn't a day when I couldn't stop thinking about you. You've helped me through some tough times in life. You're a completely amazing girl," he said, standing up. "You're beautiful, and you're the best warrior I've ever seen. You're caring, and you're funny, and so many things that I'm not. I must be the luckiest damn guy in the world. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you... and more. I guess what I'm trying to say is..." He kneeled, and took a deep breath.

"Oh, Sokka! Yes!" she suddenly interrupted him, jumping into his arms. He kissed her, smiling. He must have looked goofy, but he didn't care. All that mattered was that she loved him as much as he loved her.

"Um... Suki? I have to give you something first," he said sheepishly, fishing in his pocket for the finished necklace.

"Oh!" she said, blushing in embarrassment. She got off of the poor warrior.

"I kinda want to do this properly," he said. "So... Suki, head warrior of Kyoshi Island... will you marry me?" He blushed, holding out the necklace to her. The finished product looked like Katara's, but it depicted a full moon over a rippling ocean. It was truly the best thing Sokka had ever carved. Suki gasped, and at Sokka's gesture, she put it on. "You look amazing in that," he said.

"This is wonderful, Sokka," she said in awe. "I love it. Oh... and yes," she said, giggling. The betrothed couple kissed again, and Sokka felt completed as he held her in his arms, with the glowing lights floating all around them and the fauna.

* * *

"Aha! Try to catch up!"

"Haru!" She jumped after him, but even though she was an airbender, he had the astounding jumping abilities of an earthbender, so he was able to keep a good distance between them. She actually found it hard to keep up. Besides, he was ahead of her anyway; he needed to make rock ledges that she could jump on. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he said, grinning.

"You're impossible," said Malu, rolling her eyes. She jumped to the next ledge, but he was always one step ahead of her. She decided to just unfurl her blue glider and fly up in front of him. As she passed him, she burst out laughing.

"Cheater!" he accused. She grinned, racing him up the mountain. He opted to just crawl up like a canyon crawler, digging his fingers into the rock.

"You look funny when you do that," she said to him, sticking out her tongue.

"Not as funny as you're gonna look when you lose!" he countered, laughing, and with a spurt of speed, he beat her to the mountain's summit. He burst out laughing when he looked at her, because she was gaping in astonishment.

Apparently, it was also because of the view. "Wow," she breathed in awe. "I can practically see the whole Fire Nation!" Haru was glad she enjoyed the view, but that wasn't why he brought her all the way up there. He picked one of the pandalilies from the volcano's rim, feeling both nervous and excited at the same time. This was a dormant volcano, so there was no danger of it causing harm to them. He tapped her on the shoulder.

"Here you go," he said, smiling sheepishly, when she turned around. She gasped.

"Oh Haru, this is wonderful. Thank you for bringing me here," she said, beaming. He looked into her deep grey eyes, which were so close...

"You're welcome," he said, clearing his throat. He looked at the ground shyly. "I know that the normal custom is for the guy to come up here alone and bring it down to the girl... but I thought this would be more fun." Malu giggled.

"It's okay, Haru. You were right, this is more fun!" And then, she gently touched his chin, facing him towards her, and without a moment's pause, she kissed him. It was so wonderfully innocent, but Haru felt his spirits soar. He kissed her back, more eagerly this time.

* * *

"So what do you think about Azula?" Katara asked Zuko. The two were standing on the stone path, where they hadn't traversed yet. The area wasn't lit by the glowing flowers, so Zuko had a fire burning in his palm.

"I definitely don't trust her," he replied, tracing his fingers along the aged stone. "I probably never will."

Katara nodded. "I can't believe Aang is okay with it. Back in Ba Sing Se..." she trailed off. Neither of them spoke much of the incident to each other, because Zuko's betrayal was still fresh in their minds. It was hard to forget, even though their trust for each other was strong. "...she killed Aang. It was so lucky that I had the spirit water."

"If you had used it on me, Aang wouldn't be here now. I am glad you didn't," he said huskily. "Aang's... a good student."

"Maybe if I had used it on you... everything would have been different," Katara said, shrugging.

"Maybe."

"I wish I had more! Then I'd be able to heal your scar for you," she said brightly. "One day, after the war, I will journey to the North Pole. I will heal it for you. I promise."

"Really? You'd... do that?" He was staring into her eyes now, and his golden ones were so full of hope, when they were previously filled with growing dread. _I have to do this for him_, Katara thought. She nodded. Suddenly, he put his arms around her tightly, in a kind of awkward hug. It didn't matter to Katara, who did nothing in his warm embrace. _It is so important to him_, she thought. "Thank you."

Katara smiled. "So... Aang's just 'a good student?' Are you sure he hasn't grown on you?" she asked, nudging him with her elbow playfully, once they separated. Zuko grinned.

"He's definitely a challenge to teach. But... yes. I guess you could call us friends," he responded. Katara silently cheered, to Zuko's amusement.

"I'm proud of you, you know," she said, rocking on the balls of her feet. "You're really trying."

"I've tried for a lot of things, but I've f—"

"Oh, don't say you failed everything," Katara silenced him, her forehead creasing in annoyance. Normally, someone saying something like that to him would have made him angry, but he found himself not minding. Only Katara was allowed.

"Well, Aang's one of a kind," he said, grinning. "Kind of like you." Heat rose up into his cheeks, and he averted his eyes, embarrassed. He did _not _mean to say that! Where did that come from? Although he didn't know it, Katara also flushed deeply. Zuko cleared his throat. "Um... We should get back to camp."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," she agreed.

* * *

The next morning, they all woke up bright and early to continue their journey to the capitol of the Fire Nation. Today was the day, but when they woke up it felt like any other day.

They resumed their walk silently, all of them lost in their own thoughts. Even Ty Lee and Momo were abnormally quiet. Further down the path, they came to a wide river where the ground leveled out again. Every once in a while, something blue or green would flash through the rapids for a second, but Katara assumed it was a fish or a turtle duck.

"Soooo, why is this path so dangerous?" Toph asked nobody in particular. Almost as soon as she said these words, they came to a three-way fork in the path. As if talking to the heavens, Toph yelled, "That's not dangerous, just confusing!"

"Which way do we go?" Aang asked, looking down each one. At these words, however, _something _scaly jumped out of the water, landing right in front of the fork. It landed with a flourish. The creature was a deep blue, about Toph's height, had a thickly shelled back, and a beak-like nose. The way it moved reminded Katara of a monkey or a frog, and had webbed hands and feet. It gave off the distinct stench of fish.

Most astonishing of all, it spoke. "More travelers that have lost their way?" it gurgled, in an oddly echoing voice. "Haven't seen any in quite a while, no, no I haven't."

"What the hell is that?" Toph asked bluntly. Two more of these creatures popped out of the river, this time deep green. One of them stood at full height. Katara looked to Zuko fearfully.

"They're kappas, water demons that inhabit the lakes and rivers of the Fire Nation," he said. "Be careful."

Azula scoffed. "I never thought they existed!"

"Aw, it's so cute!" Ty Lee cooed, but Katara thought it was anything but.

"What do you want?" Aang asked, holding out his staff.

"Just a little snack!" one of the green ones cackled. At this one's voice, four more, ranging from green to blue and even yellow, came out of the river.

"I thought they were just folklore," Mai mused.

"We have some food!" Katara offered to them, anything to get those webbed monsters away. They looked amused at her offer.

"We don't want human food," one of them gurgled, and the others jeered. "We want human children." Another, the yellow one, loudly passed gas. Sokka held his nose in disgust.

"Get away from us!" Katara yelled to them.

"We'll only takey-takey if you choose the wrong path. By the way, it's that one!" the leader said, pointing to the path to the right. The others eagerly agreed with him.

"I remember them now," Kei said. "They're mischievous little creatures. They can be valuable to have as a friend, with the right gifts," he said, scratching his chin. "Now what do they like?"

"Let's fight our way through," Azula said, blue fire lighting up in her hands. The kappas in the front shied away. "Hm... they seem to be afraid of fire."

"You want to fight?" a kappa's voice rose. "Prepare for the unbeatable strength of a kappa!" Several in front rushed towards the group, baring clawed fingers. Keioushi met one head on, but it bowled him over, to everyone's astonishment. Nodoka swung his spear at the kappa, but it agilely jumped above his attack and punched him in the face. Katara used the water from the river to push them all away, but as she did this several more kappas popped out.

"Look what you did, Azula!" Katara yelled to her, annoyed. The firebender shrugged, sending a jet of blue fire at one of them. It ducked under the attack.

Aang and Shuang sent ice through the air at several of the kappas, but one clenched its fist, breaking the ice into water. Several more _bended _the water from the river, bowling quite a few more humans over.

"They can _bend_?" Toph screamed, unsuccessfully sending a boulder flying. Aang and Malu, behind her, were able to knock a few back into the water with arcs of air. Song's tiny powdered pellets were also successful, putting several of the green and blue creatures to sleep.

"We need more space!" Haru yelled, bending away some of the mountain. Covered by Jin and Suki, the closest to him, he was able to give them some more space to execute attacks. Longshot was unusually successful with the water demons, accurately hitting several in the chest or heads, sending them to their knees, bleeding water. Only Smellerbee matched their speed, dodging attacks as fast as they, and getting in a few quick swipes of her own.

The numbers of the kappas grew, even though several were falling. Appa, Yanna, and Bahamut, sensing trouble from above, swooped down to help their human comrades.

"I REMEMBER NOW!" Kei shouted with the utmost enthusiasm. "KAPPAS LIKE CUCUMBERS!"

"Cucumbers?" Jet asked, bewildered. "Does anyone have any cucumbers?"

"I do!" Aang shouted excitedly, dramatically producing one from his pack. He threw it at the ground, and as soon as it touched the rock, every single kappa stopped. Several sniffed the air, but the leader from before reached it first.

"Thank youuuuuuuuuuuu!" it squealed excitedly. "More! More! More!" it shouted, and the others began chanting with it. The kappa sliced it into bits, distributing the pieces to its comrades. They all chewed, savoring the cucumber, which apparently filled their stomachs with just a tiny bit. Some members of the Avatar's Gang emptied their pockets, though they regretted not bringing many more cucumbers with them. "We are forever in your debt. We haven't had our favorite food in many, many years."

"Uh... you're welcome," Aang said, scratching his head.

"I have an idea," Sokka said suddenly. "Maybe you can help us in the battle!"

"Ooh, yess, we know of your human war. We will do whatever you wish," the lead kappa said.

"And in return," Zuko said, stepping from the humans' ranks, "when I am Fire Lord, we will plant cucumbers as our biggest crop. You will be able to enter and leave our city at will, as long as you harm no humans." Many of the kappas had tears in their eyes. Azula snorted.

"You are truly a generous man!" the leader said, bowing reverently to Zuko. All of the others followed. "We will follow you to war, and aid your Nation forever!"

Katara scratched her chin. "Hm... the first interracial coexistence," she said, amused.

"We are off to fight against the current Fire Lord Ozai now. Come with us as our honored fighters," Zuko said, his voice rising to all of them.

"Help us end this war!" Azula said, stepping up next to her brother and grinning to him. The creatures let out odd, throaty cheers.

* * *

The kappas turned out to be pretty good company, once they were on their side. They led them down the right path, the center one. They were actually pretty funny creatures. Sokka and Aang got along very well with them. Zuko and the lead kappa, named Issui, discussed the finer points of their agreement.

In just a few hours, the path ascended again, and an excited and nervous feeling somewhere around Katara's stomach rose when she knew that Sozin City would be just within sight...

Many gasped as they laid their eyes on the city. Both metal (of the Fire Nation) and wooden (of the rebels) ships were in the water, fighting a naval battle in the Great Bay of Sozin. The city, which was right below them, was littered with soldiers and rebels fighting in the streets, as the rebels were trying to get passed the beaches. The Fire Nation was putting up a very good defense. The Avatar's help was needed.

"It started already..." Sokka said quietly, and everyone immediately looked up at the darkening sky. The moon was nearly halfway blocking out the sun.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Haha, I had to give you guys a cliffhanger. I love doing that.**

**Yeah, about the kappas, don't ask. They were kind of just a last minute decision to add some excitement to the Haiki Cliffs, and at the same time, they were able to become the first waterbending non-humans! All other nations had these, so I thought, why not? I enjoyed writing them anyway. Also, if you haven't noticed, I'm trying to make the Fire Nation primarily Japanese, and that's where the kappas are, according to mythology. About the cucumbers, that's what I read, and apparently they'd go to great lengths for them XD**

**Everyone, go check out Hold On Tight's "The Day Has Come." It is an excellent story that deserves some more credit! And now that I remember, go check out MadnessinmyMethod's awesome story "Because I Don't Make Mistakes." They're both really great stories that you can find in my favorites list. Do it! You know you want to:D Trust me; they're two of my favorite Avatar fics.**

**I'll start the next two chapters soon, but like I said, they might be a little longer to get out. Perhaps they'll be up on Friday, if I can. If not, sometime during the weekend.**

**Please review:D**


	29. Day of Black Sun, Part 1, Sozin City

**Author's Notes: Okay, here's the long-awaited first part of the invasion of the Fire Nation! Enjoy! But, for some reason, the last time I did a two-part thing, it was as if some people skipped Part 1. I know this because I have fewer hits, and even less reviews XD Don't forget this chapter!**

**Thanks to all my reviewers from last chapter! Glad you liked it!**

**Anonymous Review Responses:**

**Pachysam 2: Lol, glad you liked it. Unfortunately, during the battle with the Fire Lord, Aang will not be using blue fire, simply because he doesn't know how. In the sequel, he will learn how from Azula, though :D**

**One last thing—Thanks to my awesome new beta, Hold On Tight!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 29: Sozin City (The Day of Black Sun, Part 1)_

"Appa, Momo, you two better get somewhere safe. I don't think this will be the kind of battle for you guys," Aang said to his faithful friends concernedly.

"Yanna, Aang's right, you wouldn't be safe here. Sorry girl," Malu said to her bison, frowning.

"You heard 'em, Bahamut. Get out of here," Zuko said to his dragon, as he turned to him and grunted. The four creatures flew off into the safety of the mountains—Appa and Bahamut somewhat reluctantly.

The group's two airbenders sped down into the action before anyone else, who had to carefully walk down the path created by Toph and Haru. Katara tried to avoid even looking at the city, afraid of what she might end up seeing again. This, she knew, would probably end up being one of the bloodiest battles in the history of the world. Try as she might, some anguished shouts still reached her fragile ears, along with the sounds of explosions.

Azula slid down the rocky path, her boots emitting sparks as she went. It was an incredibly rash and dangerous thing for her to do, but Katara had no objection. She still wasn't entirely sure of the Princess's loyalties. She spared another look at the dusky sky, and silently thanked Yue once again for becoming the moon. Without her help, they wouldn't be able to mount the invasion. She was praying for it to last for a long time as the moon inched slowly across the larger sun.

It felt like it took forever, but finally the large group of kids reached the docks. Many of the rebel's ships were damaged but still intact, probably because of the Fire Nation's blockade. Katara reached for the bay water, controlling torrents of water to pull some Fire Nation soldiers into the bay. They easily fought through, slowly making their way over to the rebel unloading point. Aang and Malu were already there, keeping enemy soldiers away.

The kappas fought with almost gruesome enthusiasm. Their waterbending powers were put to good use as they completely destroyed many of the soldiers.

"We'd like to stay here and protect your rebel friends, Master Zuko," Issui, the lead kappa, croaked to him. "We need to stay near water."

And she couldn't help but notice Zuko and Azula's much weaker attacks. Neither of them used large amounts of fire very often, and when they did, they had to struggle to do so. The fire siblings kept to smaller, concentrated attacks. Katara wondered how Aang was doing with his firebending.

With the kappa's help, the Avatar Gang was able to fight through to the rebels, eventually meeting up with Qi Yi and Dizi, who are there issuing orders.

"Master Qi Yi!" Aang called to him. The earthbending master turned, a weary smile coming to his face.

"Avatar Aang, I am glad you are here. We need all of your help," he said, somewhat quickly. "The other Generals and some of my soldiers were able to fight through the enemy, but their path was quickly closed up again. Aang, we need you and your friends to follow them through, and defeat the Fire Lord quickly. General Ursa will go into more detail at the Palace. For now, Godspeed, everyone," he finished, saluting them. Immediately after, he sent a block of earth at an enemy soldier. "Now go!" he ordered.

Aang turned to his friends. "I want you all to stay in the city and help the rebels. I'm off to the Palace," he said quickly, unfurling his glider. He was about to pull away when his foot suddenly became encased in stone.

"You're not goin' anywhere without us, remember?" Toph said from in a solid stance.

"Come on, Aang. We're in this together," Jet said, his hook swords held out in front of him.

A pained look came to his eyes, and then he started tearing when he saw all of their determined faces. "Thanks, guys... You're the best family a kid could ever have."

"Yeah, yeah, now's not the time for teary-moments, we're in war, let's go!" Sokka yelled, though he was grinning. "Oh wait!" Sokka turned back to Qi Yi. "Master Qi Yi, where's your blacksmith?"

The leader of the rebels raised an eyebrow at his odd question, but answered with, "On the ship, fixing some quick weapons."

"Thanks!" the Water Tribe Warrior yelled, dashing off.

* * *

"Here you go, Sokka. Use it well," the kind blacksmith said, handing him the full set of armor. Sokka donned it hastily, knowing his friends needed him. The armor was made of the serpent's scales, after Sokka brought the dead body to shore with his sister's help. The blacksmith was able to forge a brilliant piece of armor from it. "This is probably my favorite thing I've ever made!"

After it was on, Sokka took a quick second to look at himself in the water. The armor was primarily green with some blue scales. It had a full chestplate, greaves, leggings, boots, and a helm. The helm had the same gold membrane as the serpent did, except that this was forged from real gold. As a result, the helmet looked like a dragon's head, teeth and all. He was a Water Tribe warrior, but the colors represented things. The green was meant for the Foggy Swamp Tribe (even though he didn't like them as much) and the blue was for the Northern and Southern Tribes.

"This... is... AWESOME!" Sokka exclaimed, dancing excitedly. The blacksmith tossed him a bonus spear, made like they did in the Water Tribes. He looked at the blacksmith, gaping.

"A little present for presenting me with my best project," he said, winking. _Now I look like some sick awesome Dragon Knight or something. I can't wait to show Dad one day!_

The excited young warrior rushed off the ship's deck, just as the blacksmith was following right behind with a war hammer.

* * *

Zuko's eyes widened upon seeing Sokka emerge from the rebel ship, but quickly dismissed it for the task at hand. His flames were becoming weaker and weaker, so he eventually resorted to using his broadswords. Unfortunately for the enemy, many of them were firebenders with little to no experience in weaponry. Zuko, like all firebenders there, felt the coldness spreading throughout his body as his inner fire was slowly being extinguished for a short while. It felt as if he was losing a huge part of himself. The feeling originated in his stomach, causing it to grumble.

The capitol of the Fire Nation was an elaborate city, on normal days. It was very large, but like most cities, not nearly as large as Ba Sing Se. There were many streets, but like Ba Sing Se, the peasant's district was furthest from the Palace, followed by the middle class. The nobles, like in all nations, were closest to the Palace.

Like in Ba Sing Se, some of the Sozin City peasants came out to help fight, but many were unskilled fighters and fell very quickly, though they tried saving as many as they can and discouraging them from fighting. The peasant's district was made up mostly of smaller shacks, mostly run-down. There were many streets in Sozin City, all criss-crossing in an orderly grid. The enemy forces were very thick here, but the Fire Prince knew it would only get worse as they went behind enemy lines.

It seemed that the rebels caught them on guard. These men were anticipating an attack, but probably had little time to get the message to the navy so they could create a suitable stockade. For the most part, the Fire soldiers were organized and they struck back hard. From above, in the Middle Class district or the Noble's District, they used their catapults, recklessly attacking friend and foe, civilian and soldier. These men were really monsters, and Zuko vowed to make many changes when he became Fire Lord.

He smirked when he realized he was already making lists in his head for reforms already. It meant that he was confident in his allies' ability to win this war. Once again, he was truly glad he joined the right side. But did Azula struggle as much with the decision as he did? She had turned traitor a little faster than he did. Unless she was lying about everything.

Like in all battles, Zuko fought by Katara's side. She was fighting excellently, like always. She was able to find water everywhere, and in any other situation he would have laughed when she pulled water right out of people's houses. She was able to amass a large amount of water as she toppled enemies with huge waves and reused it constantly, pushing a path through for them to go through. Shuang joined her, using the same exact tactic.

While the two waterbenders were clearing a way for them in front, everyone else was fighting enemies off on the side roads and alleys, who either got passed the two waterbending masters or chose a different road. They were an efficient fighting force, used to each other's combat abilities and falling into strategies unconsciously. The ranged fighters were on the inside and everyone else was on the outside.

Aang and Malu were flying through the air and stopping as many aerial attacks as possible, destroying the giant fireballs before they made contact. They did not want any harm coming to the regular citizens, since Qi Yi said it was immoral. Even if he ordered it, the children wouldn't dream of attacking harmless people.

Sokka was fighting very enthusiastically ever since he got his new armor, as if he was showing off. With that armor style and that spear, it reminded Zuko strongly of the infamous dragon killers in centuries past. He decided not to let the boy near Bahamut anymore.

As a matter of fact, everyone was fighting harder than he had ever seen them. Jin was slashing her katana as fast as a blur, and Nodoka was hopping roof to roof and jumping on enemies with his spear. Keioushi punched enemy soldiers with his spiked knuckles, doing fatal damage. Ty Lee was the ever-hyper pink blur, ducking between enemy strikes and landing quick jabs to render them useless.

Suki was using her katana and wrist shield, but since Jin used it all of the time she was much more skilled. That didn't stop Suki, though. She was using her ancient Kyoshi Warrior fighting styles with her weapon, and she was just as effective. Longshot and Smellerbee worked as an amazing team as always, and Jet and Azula fought side-by-side, and after Azula got rid of an enemy with a jet of blue fire that was about to cut off Mai's head, the girl said, "Thanks, Azula." Kei slashed his longsword in all directions, protecting Song as she fired her slingshot and incapacitated soldiers efficiently. Zuko was deeply impressed with all of them.

Things were going well as they ran up to the next level of the city, the Middle Class District.

* * *

Katara stole only one glance at Sokka as they battled. She wondered where the hell he got that armor, but more importantly, where did he get the money to buy it? It did seem to be useful, though, because all strikes glanced off of him. It hindered his movement, but he didn't have to worry much about defense. He swung his spear with practiced skill, but not nearly as much as Nodoka. Every once in a while, he reached to his back for his boomerang, flinging it at his enemies. When they were too close for the spear, his club or machete was out in a second. Sokka really liked his weaponry.

The Middle District of Sozin City was a drastic change from the run down buildings of the Peasant's District. Several buildings were actually pagodas, layered buildings that showed off the city's culture. Usually accompanying these pagodas was a koi pond—another source Katara used for even more water—and a wonderful garden. Again, some citizens tried to help, but the few who were firebenders came and were unable to do anything.

She kept pushing and pulling her accumulated water, forcefully knocking soldiers off their feet and not letting them get up. A fire soldier attacked her from behind, stabbing at her with his spear. She dodged just in time, and using one hand to keep pushing the flow of soldiers, she used her other to lash out at him with a water whip. His spear was sliced in half, but then he resorted to a small fireball. It was small enough to block with her water whip, and a second later she lashed out with it again, knocking the man unconscious. Smirking, she turned back to her work.

Though it was kind of fun at first watching the soldiers continually topple and shout in protest, it was eventually losing its novelty. She suddenly stopped moving, making the water in front of her stop. She had accumulated over two dozen soldiers, and a few of them tried getting up shakily. She didn't give them that chance. She spread her arms out, as the water pulled the soldiers into side alleys and slammed them into buildings. She pulled the water back, and no soldiers with it. She smirked again.

She pulled the water over to her, and she rose on it as it pulled her down the streets. The torrent of water at the base of her column was lashing out at any enemies near her. Her hair came undone, and in moments she looked like a water goddess. Her brown hair whipped at her face as she paved the way for her friends.

A group of half a dozen Dai Li suddenly jumped out of nowhere, _kind of like they always do, _she thought. As they landed, pillars of stone threw Katara off balance, and she fell to the ground. Another large rock slammed into her exposed back, causing her to cry out in pain. Somehow, she managed to stand, picking up her fallen puddles of water. Tentacles of water surrounded both of her arms, and she whipped both at the Dai Li agents. Small walls of stone blocked the attacks, but before they or Katara could do anything else, Zuko intervened with a small fireball. It did no damage, but it was a distraction.

Katara noticed a tree to her right in the small front yard of one of the homes. She plucked all of the leaves from it, and they all swirled around her in a whirlwind of green. Each tiny leaf sliced at the Dai Li agents, easily cutting through their heavy robes and cutting the skin underneath. Some cried out in pain but kept their attacks going.

They jumped to the building tops, dropping hailstorms of rocks on the two fighters. Zuko blocked some with his swords, but they beat him on the shoulders relentlessly. The leaves fell gently to the ground as Katara picked up all of her water again, covering both herself and Zuko in an ice shield the best that she could.

Shuang, Haru, and Jin caught up to them. Haru rose to the building tops to meet the earthbending agents while Shuang fought with his own accumulated water. It crept up the building, snaking around the Dai Li's feet and pulling several of them down. Before they hit the ground, a torrent of water rose up to meet them, slamming them against the buildings.

Jin deflected a block of stone with her katana, gleaming bright red in the dull sunlight, much like that of a sunset. It cut through the air with amazing speed, slicing the Dai Li before they could get their bearings. At the same time, a Fire Nation soldier decided to emerge from the building they were fighting in front of, attacking Jin with his sword. She deflected each blow skillfully with swords of bright flame, making metallic clangs with each strike. He was fast, she had to give him that.

The reverberations of her powerful attacks vibrated down his sword, causing his grip to slacken on his weapon. Jin took this moment to give one more powerful blow, which sent the sword flying from his hands. She knocked him out by bashing him on the head with the hilt of _Kira-Duragon_.

Aang, Malu, and Toph followed next, with Jet and Azula right behind them. A small tornado from Aang threw several more soldiers from the Noble District off of their feet, whipping them with the water from his flask quickly while they were still in the air. They were all thrown against buildings, and as they were finally falling to the ground Aang stomped his feet and they were thrown up again by blocks of stone coming from beneath them.

Malu performed her strongest attack, the Razor Disc, in her hands, then unleashed it on her enemies. It flew out in a vertical line, some managing to dodge it but others not being as lucky. For those that did dodge successfully, she split up her body into air and coalesced in front of them a second later, slamming them in the guts with her staff. She jumped on her own procured whirlwind, riding it much like waterbenders did on a water snake attack. She flew through the streets with incredible speed, throwing more soldiers off their feet.

Jet, as always, was dominating the scene with his hook swords. He grabbed several soldiers by the ankles and pulled them up, throwing them to the ground flat on their faces. They groaned in pain. The Freedom Fighter also quickly snapped wrists, rendering the soldiers unable to fight. His tactics worked well, since many surrendered, crying in pain. Attacks from the Dai Li were blocked by his swords, and Jet growled in anger. _I hate the Dai Li and Long Feng more than anything_, he thought, slicing at the robed men with his swords. They fell quickly.

As Azula fought, Mai and Ty Lee came to her side. She was bending lightning at her enemies as they looked at her in pain and confusion. Fire was becoming extremely hard to bend successfully, but lightning flowed much more easily and quicker. Mai flicked knives and darts at those she missed, while Ty Lee jabbed at their pressure points as always. Together, the three of them were nearly impossible to defeat, since they all covered their strengths and weaknesses. That was why they were an elite team—friends.

"I have to admit, I missed having you two around," she said to them, sidestepping a sword slash. "What do you girls say to starting all over again? Let's be real friends this time!"

"Definitely, Azula!" Ty Lee replied cheerfully, ducking under a wide, horizontal strike.

"You're right, I also missed being bossed around," Mai added seriously, but when Azula looked at her, she smirked. "Good to have you with us."

Not too far from them, Keioushi and Nodoka were fighting, alongside Smellerbee and Longshot.

"Y'know bud, you've barely talked this whole adventure!" Keioushi yelled to his silver-haired friend.

"And you've barely stopped talking!" Nodoka retorted, stabbing through an enemy shield as if it were paper. An arrow killed another of his enemies, courtesy of Longshot. Nodoka nodded to him in thanks.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad we became friends of the Avatar," the red-haired martial artist said, punching the daylights out of another soldier.

"Yeah, you're right, we got to meet some really hot girls," Nodoka said, smirking. Keioushi paused in his attacks, gaping, until Smellerbee kicked him in the shin.

"Pay attention, Bigfoot! I just had to save your ass from three soldiers," she yelled. Her new hairstyle was blowing in the wind, some loose strands whipping at her face. She, like everyone else, was covered in sweat and blood.

"Alright, alright!" Keioushi howled, grabbing his shin in pain. Longshot smirked at him, as if to say, "You asked for it."

Song, Kei, Sokka, and Suki took up the rear, accompanied by some of the rebels as they fought. The Avatar Gang successfully cleared a path through the Peasant and Middle Class Districts. Now they had to fight to the Palace.

* * *

Iroh was outside for the first time in days. His sickness because of the rain had almost passed, and the rebel doctors allowed him to enjoy some fresh air. But the old firebender was far from enjoying anything.

The moon was about three quarters over the sun, almost completely darkening the sky. He knew his loved ones and allies were fighting somewhere on the other side of the world, but he could do nothing to help. On top of that, the cold was spreading through his body, and the warm tea he was drinking was also doing nothing to help.

He was worried about his niece and nephew. The two would have surely met by now. Would they end up trying to kill each other? He wished he was there to stop such things from happening. He did receive some good news about Zuko, though—Jeong Jeong told him that Zuko had mastered firebending and produced lightning. When Iroh learned this, he was extremely proud of his nephew and it had brought tears to his eyes. He was finally balanced and firm in his choice to help the Avatar.

And Azula! He was also prouder than he had ever been of her. She was able to turn traitor to the Fire Nation, a change Iroh never suspected she would be able to accomplish until recently. She was also able to produce lightning, and that meant she was sure of her choice more than anything else. Unless she was lying about everything, but Iroh was almost sure she wasn't.

And finally, there was Ursa. The woman that was like a daughter to him was also off fighting in this war, and now that they all had her back he didn't want her to be harmed again. He never thought that the woman could fight. Her firebending was always very weak, and she was never trained by anyone. Would she be able to survive? If not, then Iroh was confident that Zuko would protect her.

If he lost any of them, it would be like losing Lu Ten all over again. He would be devastated. What if something happened to them in the fight with his brother? Iroh would be the only living royal family member left, with the exception of Ozai. He was the oldest, so he would give up his life for any of his family any day...

Taking another sip of tea, he sighed dejectedly, praying to the spirits that they would survive this ordeal.

* * *

Aang was successfully barreling through the Noble's District on an earth wave, with Toph and Haru right behind him. Malu flew above them all, shooting small tornados down at the soldiers.

The upper class of the Fire Nation lived very well. Every landowner owned a large estate with their own castle, but they were dwarfed by the Fire Nation Palace in the distance. The daimyos, or wealthy landowners, had their own soldiers that fought against the Army of the Avatar. Each soldier was a master of the katana, or a samurai as they were called here. Jin was the only non-bender who was able to defeat them, but even then only if the benders were lucky and kept their distance.

Some wielded bows and arrows. Longshot, Mai, and Song were the only ones who had a chance of taking them down from a great distance. Longshot was nearly as accurate as a YuuYan archer, and just as deadly. Because of the samurai and their archers, the Noble's District was the hardest to fight through.

An arrow went whizzing through the air, and Aang saw it before it hit him. Quickly, he put up an air barrier which blocked the attack. He sighed with relief and waved his arm, causing a "rockalanche" to converge on the hapless archers. Unfortunately, even though he was the Avatar, he was still a firebender and felt the piercing cold within his stomach. He never noticed his inner fire before, but now that it was gone, he was able to notice the difference and all of the other elements inside of him.

The Air was in his lungs, not only allowing him to breathe, but giving him the light-heartedness and kindness of all other airbenders. It reduced the weight in his body, enabling him to soar to great heights. An airbender was able to endure much more air pressure than anyone else, giving them the power to withstand a high elevation. That was part of the reason why the Air Temples were so high up—it was added protection for them.

His inner Water was all over his body, coursing through him and allowing blood to flow. It gave him life, making it more important than the other elements within him. It was also the essence of spiritual balance and grace. His heart was like the moon, giving his blood the power to flow. Without it, he would die.

His inner Earth was located in his legs, sustaining his connection to the ground. It gave him the staunch power of an earthbender, and with the right stance he wouldn't fall. He would persevere and emerge as victor in his quest. His stubbornness wouldn't allow him to lose. He was an earthbender, and he would act like it.

_Alright, it's time that we get to the Palace before this Eclipse ends_, Aang thought, frowning. He suddenly stopped moving, holding his hands out and concentrating on his next attack.

"Toph, Malu, Haru—I'm going to need your help here," he grunted to them, clenching his teeth. They nodded, stepping behind him. After a moment where his friends defended him, Aang earthbended the giant slab of stone they were standing on. It burst from the ground with a loud _crack_. With Toph and Haru's help, he held it up. He started moving his arms frantically, working up great gusts of wind. Malu joined him once she realized what he was doing. They started moving along quickly, the gusts of wind pushing them along and the stone going right over their enemies.

They passed over the nobles' fields and great gardens, until the Sozin City Palace was seen in full detail.

It was larger than the Palace in Ba Sing Se, that was for sure. Its large, imposing walls of black, where the Fire Nation insignia burned, were as tall and as thick as the ones in Ba Sing Se. Elaborately designed courtyards were behind these walls. Unfortunately, the figures in _front _of the Palace walls were even worse.

The rest of the Blaze Brigade was lined up there, already thick in combat with several soldiers, and in the middle Aang could see a powerful earthbender, Bumi. Aang and his friends immediately rushed forward to meet them head-on, and as they fought Aang realized that the Blaze Brigade was finished.

The moon was now totally blocking the sun. The Blaze Brigade lost their strongest weapons. They suddenly brandished thin blades, but even then they were no match for the powerful benders in the Avatar's party. The enemy's only advantage was their numbers.

But that was quickly remedied. Soldiers began pouring out of the mountains, wielding all kinds of weapons and dressed in helmet-less Fire Nation armor. It was Azula's crew, finally finished crossing the mountains and arriving at just the right time when they were needed most.

In minutes, the Blaze Brigade was bound, gagged, or killed, if they kept fighting to the death. One even chose to commit suicide rather than be captured by the enemy. Aang sighed wearily, rubbing his forehead of sweat. It was a long, bloody day already—but it wasn't nearly over yet. That was the easy part. Besides, the rebels and soldiers were still fighting down below—the Fire Army was still going strong.

"Avatar Aang!" a woman's voice called to him. "Quickly, we must fight the Fire Lord—the Eclipse is at its strongest point!" It was Ursa, who alone looked unharmed and as ready as ever.

"I am ready," he said determinedly to her, his brow furrowed. His friends behind him nodded.

"We must split into groups," Bumi said, stepping up next to Aang. "The Generals are staying where they can be safe, somewhere in the Palace. We need to get rid of them."

"What?" Katara said, panting. "We need to fight the Fire Lord together."

"We can't. All of us aren't necessary for defeating Ozai," Ursa said. "Now hurry! Decide who is fighting!"

"I am coming to fight father," Zuko said, stepping up in front of his mother. Ursa nodded. Azula stepped up next to Zuko.

"You aren't leaving me out, either," she said staunchly.

"All of his Generals are here, including Long Feng. He was made a General, I believe," Bumi said, scratching his scraggly beard.

"I've got a bone to pick with Long Feng," Toph said aggressively.

"So do I," Jet said, a look of fury on his face.

"Then there is the leader of the Blaze Brigade, General Zin. I believe he hasn't met you yet," Ursa said.

"We'll get him," Katara said. "Now let's go!"

"Wait!" Ursa said to them, before they could run away. "We are almost sure Ozai is in the Temple. He is afraid of the Eclipse," she said, a haunted look coming to her eyes. "I will come with you, Avatar Aang. Everyone else, start in the Throne Room, the Generals should be planning their battle strategies there."

"How many Generals?" Malu asked quickly.

"Four, including Long Feng," Bumi responded. "Aang, let's go!"

"Hold on," he said, and then turned to his friends. "Guys... thank you. I..."

"Save that for later," Zuko interrupted. "We'll all make it out of this alive."

Katara ran up and put her arms around the young Avatar. "Be careful Aang, okay? We're counting on you. End this before anyone else is harmed," she said, her voice cracking. There were tears in her eyes.

"You'll be okay, Aang. Right?" Toph asked him, somewhat meekly. Her own eyes were tearing. Aang smiled.

"Of course I'll be," he said, going to hug her. "You should, too." She nodded.

Meanwhile, Katara and Zuko were also sharing their own goodbye. "You'll be able to do it. You will fight your father, and you will win," Katara said, crying into his clothing. "Right? You have to be back here; you can't die." She seemed to be reassuring herself, hugging him tightly.

"You should be careful, too," he said. "I'll be okay. Worry about yourself first," he said softly, running his fingers through her mane of brown hair. She nodded into his shoulder.

"It is time," Ursa said, as everyone was giving 'good luck's' or 'be careful's.' Many of them had watery eyes. Zuko and Katara separated reluctantly, looking into each other's eyes one last time before pulling away. They each seemed to want to say one last thing to each other, but no more words were spoken. Hands were clasped as they pulled away slowly, falling limply to their sides as they turned around to go their separate ways. They didn't look back.

* * *

**Author's Note: On to the next chapter...**


	30. Day of Black Sun, Part 2, The Fire Lord

**Author's Note: Before anyone reads this chapter, read Chapter 29! Last time I added two chapters at once, many skipped over the first part and went right to reading the second part. Don't make that mistake. Okay, here's the second part of The Day of Black Sun. Enjoy! By the way, this is by far my longest chapter, coming at 9,189 words!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 3: Fire**

_Chapter 30: The Fire Lord (The Day of Black Sun, Part 2)_

The moon was already revealing the sun again, but the battle still raged below it.

"Come on, Yue. Stay there longer, please..." Aang whispered to the sky. The ring of light surrounding the dark ball in the sky was glowing ominously. Aang thought it might be a bad omen.

Aang couldn't even feel his feet as the five went at a slow jog to the Temple. He felt as if he was in a dream, as all sounds were silenced and colors faded to black and white. Everything for him was in slow motion, and it almost felt as if he was going to his death. Who was he kidding? He was just a kid. Who would expect a kid to defeat the strongest firebender in the world? Could anyone beat him?

His white knuckles clutched his staff, sweat was dripping off of his body in the warm Fire Nation weather, but he felt so cold inside. His grey eyes betrayed no emotion, frozen in place and staring straight ahead. Was this his destiny? Was he the one destined to defeat the Fire Lord?

_Just as you re-shaped those clouds, you have the power to reshape your destiny_, Aunt Wu's voice resounded in his head.

He tried going over everything in his head that he had learned, as many bending techniques that he could think of, but nothing came. The idea of the Avatar State and unlocking its full potential was lost to him. He felt no panic. He was oddly calm.

_The world needed me and I wasn't there to help! _His own voice felt like a distant and long-forgotten memory. He was here now, ready to fulfill his duty.

_Sozin's comet will return by the end of the summer, and Fire Lord Ozai will use its power to finish the war once and for all. If he succeeds, even the Avatar won't be able to restore balance to the world. Aang, you must defeat the Fire Lord before the comet arrives. _He was now finally able to comply with Avatar Roku's order. He could do this.

Feeling a rush of renewed confidence, Aang allowed a weak smile to come to his face, right as they came to the four-layered Temple. The roof shingles were jet black, edged in gold, giving them the peculiar look of a dragon's scales. The actual stonework of the temple was pure white, and standing at full height next to it were two pure golden statues of dragons, with red jewels as eyes. Aang, Bumi, Ursa, Zuko, and Azula ran inside, coming to a wide entrance hall with an elaborate running fountain in the middle. Behind it, a spiral staircase led upwards.

"Where is he?" Aang asked of nobody in particular.

"He must be up some more," Ursa said, making her way to the staircase.

"This is the Temple of Agni—the fire, not the God," Zuko informed Aang quickly in passing. "He must be at the top, praying to the Great Dragon." His broadswords were out and ready, but Ursa and Azula had no visible weapons. They all ran up the stairs, passing several rooms and seeing no one. When they finally reached the top, they were panting.

This room, the largest so far, was just as elaborately decorated as the others. By far the most distracting thing in the room was a giant statue of a dragon. This dragon was very different from the few Aang had seen—it was heavily muscled and had two thick arms and legs, standing at full height and made out of gold. Its wingspan easily outstretched Appa's full length.

Standing in front of it was a man. Upon seeing him, Aang's gut clenched. He turned around to look at the five, and Aang was beyond shocked to see a perfectly normal looking man, with the same golden eyes as Zuko. He had no fierce scars, no hard stare, and definitely did not look evil to the Avatar.

"Please, you have to stop this!" Aang shouted to him desperately. The Fire Lord's eyes immediately hardened upon looking at Aang, and at once the boy saw the ruthless, evil man behind them. His head turned to look at them all again.

"What a surprise," he said, and again Aang was shocked at the normality of his voice. "My late wife, Ursa, has returned home. My son and my daughter have come to fight me. I did not think you two would betray me," he said, shaking his head. "The King of Omashu... and also the Avatar. It is a pleasure to meet you," he smirked. "I am Fire Lord Ozai."

"Let's end this," Zuko said stonily, drawing his broadswords. Aang's brow furrowed and he held out his staff. Next to him, Azula was wielding daggers and Ursa held broadswords just like her son.

"They are here, already?" a woman's voice asked, coming from behind them.

* * *

_Aang is the Avatar. He's the world's only chance. You both found him for a reason. Now your destinies are intertwined with his. _

Katara ran down the many hallways of the Fire Palace, having no idea where she was going. Sokka, Toph, and Jet ran alongside her, and all non-benders had their weapons out and ready for attack. Mai and Ty Lee, unfortunately, were never actually in the Palace very much and thus did not know their way around well. Katara did not choose her directions at random, however, she knew a little bit of instinct played a part in her choices.

Thinking of instincts, she thought back to the day in the forest where they met Jet and the other Freedom Fighters. She thought of the day where she finally mastered waterbending. She thought of the day when she kissed Aang. She thought of the days when her pupils mastered waterbending. She thought of the sadness and the struggles, but also the numerous happy times they'd had.

If she had known her life was going to be such an adventure when she started her journey, she may not have come, being an inexperienced waterbender traveling into worlds unknown. Now that she was in the Fire Lord's Palace, possibly going to the battle of her life, she knew then she wouldn't trade any of this for the world.

"Where are the Generals?" Jin asked, peeking into rooms as they passed.

"_Who _are the Generals?" Jet asked. "Besides Long Feng."

"Well, there's Piza and Zhang," Haru listed. "And Fhuzaz."

"And then that General Zin guy Ursa mentioned," Sokka added.

"Let's just go," Ty Lee said, unusually solemn. Was she afraid?

"Hm... I feel a slight breeze ahead," Mai pointed out. Once she mentioned it, Katara did in fact feel the breeze. But where was it coming from? "The courtyard is ahead. We've been there before."

"And someone's there," Toph said quietly. They all halted to listen. "Someone we've never met before."

"It must be General Zin," Katara said, and she started to dash out of their hiding place when Jet grabbed her wrist.

"We should all ambush him together," the boy said.

"No," Sokka said. Katara did not think he would be the one to say that. Her brother would vote for an all-out attack. "We all need our advantage—the Eclipse. If we take too long all fighting one person..."

"Then the time would run out," Suki finished for him. "You're right."

"I want to fight now," Katara said, her voice gravelly. "I'm going to fight Zin."

"Fine, then. I'm coming with you—Dad wanted me to protect you," he said to her. Without warning, her eyes started tearing, and she fiercely hugged Sokka. He hugged her back, wondering if they could all survive this. He cleared his thoughts. They had to. They were the Avatar Gang.

"I'm coming, too," Suki said, holding her katana tightly. "The rest of you go ahead; we'll catch up." Sokka and Katara separated, as everyone else went ahead reluctantly.

"Let's do this," Katara said, stepping forward. They were immediately met by a rush of green and beautiful stonework. The large courtyard had several trees, but the largest by far was in the middle, next to a small pond. A grey-haired man was meditating next to the water, and stood up and turned around when they arrived.

"I knew you were there," he said, eyes closed. "I was able to feel you ever since you entered the Palace." He looked like a normal, upper class man with thick Fire Nation robes and a beard, but he was also tall and royal looking.

"Good for you," Katara said rudely. "I want to finish this fight so I can go and help my friends," she said, scathing.

"You will find that this will not be much of a battle," Zin said, eyes still closed. "You are not calm, blinded by anger and a desire to kill. Find balance in your emotions, and you will have a chance of defeating me."

"Who are you?" Sokka asked, straightening.

"I am General Zin, leader of the Blaze Brigade and third and youngest son of the late Fire Lord Azulon," he answered calmly. "Brother of the traitor Iroh and current Fire Lord Ozai." His eyes finally opened, revealing a misty, hazel color. His wise eyes were full of knowledge and experience. "Make your first move."

Katara immediately bended the water from the pond, which rushed at Zin's back. The Fire Nation Prince rushed right towards Katara, who pulled the water after him. Sokka rushed up to defend his sister, swinging his spear at the old man. At the last second, when the water and spear were about to converge on him, the man jumped over the spear blow, grabbed it from the dumbfounded Sokka, and was out of harm's way. Katara, expecting to hit the General, was soon attacked by her own water. Both she and Sokka were pushed into the stone wall. Her brother's armor crashed against her, and she groaned in pain.

Suki, finding herself alone, raised her katana to the man.

"This is amusing," Zin said thoughtfully. "A Kyoshi Warrior. She seems like the only one with a chance of landing a hit on me at this point."

Zin swung his spear at her, which was blocked by her quickly-erected wrist shield. While his weapon was on the rebound, she butted him with her shield and went at the opening with her katana. Suddenly, the other side of his spear deflected her blow. Sokka's boomerang flew through the air, and just as she thought it was going to strike the old General's head, it hit the sharp point of his stolen spear. Immediately, Suki released the butt of his spear and slashed at it with her katana, slicing it clean in half.

She was only allowed a tiny moment's satisfaction when Zin simply kneed her in the stomach. She doubled over in pain, and with the bottom half of the broken spear he hit her away. Sokka suddenly came swinging his machete and club at Zin, and the General simply threw away the two halves of the spear. Dodging Sokka's skillful blows, the leader of the Blaze Brigade spoke to him.

"I was always jealous of the two of my brothers," he said, bending under a horizontal strike from Sokka's machete. "Iroh, the model son and excellent firebender and leader of a great army. Ozai, deceitful and cunning boy with potential in our father's eyes, a backup. And then there was me, the third, unwanted son of Illah, who never married, never had to produce any heirs. I did not have the fury of a firebender or the ability to lead hundreds. My father ignored me, and I was never allowed to be shown to the public, never allowed to be shown I existed. And then, when father passed away, my big brother Ozai recognized me. He gave me a position of power. He gave me a chance to prove myself. And I did. I became his greatest General."

"I didn't want your life story!" Sokka yelled, with one final burst of energy. He swung his club directly at Zin's chest, to hear a loud and satisfying crack. Zin groaned in pain, but jumped up and kicked Sokka right in the face, hitting him away. For a moment, Sokka was afraid of fire hitting him, remembering that to be a firebending move.

Above them, Yue was nearly halfway across the sun, beginning the last stretch of her journey.

* * *

Ty Lee felt like she was running _from _something, instead of running _to _it. She knew what would be coming soon, and she feared it so much more than she feared the dead. Any moment now... She didn't know what she'd do or how she'd do it.

Only Mai knew what the normally bubbly girl could possibly be thinking about, but she didn't mention it at all. Her friend did give her the occasional reassuring glance, but that was about it. Keioushi, though he didn't know what was wrong, tried to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Lee. I'll be here to protect you. There's nothing to be afraid of," the red-haired martial artist said. His green eyes twinkled, giving her a tiny bit of hope and comfort.

"Thanks," she said, offering her boyfriend a weak smile. "I guess it'll be the four of us fighting our battle, huh? Me, you, Mai, and Nodoka," she added, when he gave her a look to keep going.

"We'll be there," Nodoka said, indicating him and Mai. Her best friend nodded.

"We want to fight Piza and Zhang," Ty Lee heard Shuang say to Jin and Haru.

"And we've got Long Feng," Toph said, speaking of her and Jet.

"That leaves Fhuzaz for us!" Keioushi said confidently. "We can take him!" Ty Lee winced.

"Will you shut _up_?" Mai reprimanded Keioushi.

"What did I do now?" he retorted.

"Wait, stop," Toph suddenly said, interrupting the two from starting a further argument. "I feel someone. Someone light on their feet."

Ty Lee squeaked in fear.

Once he was discovered, a man stepped out from behind the wall in back of them. They all turned around to face him, but Mai held out her arm before Shuang, Haru, Jet, or Keioushi could attack. Ty Lee stepped forward, holding her fists out in front of her.

"General... Fhuzaz," she said, straightening slowly and putting her arms at her sides.

"The rest of you go," Mai said to everyone else. "The War Room I believe is straight down that hallway." Nodding, Toph went ahead, followed by Jet, Haru, Shuang, Jin, and Malu. Smellerbee, Longshot, Song, and Kei chose to stay outside and fight with the rebels.

Wordlessly, Fhuzaz drew two short, slim katanas from his side, crouching low into a stance. Ty Lee got into her own stance, but Nodoka beat her to the attack. He lunged at Fhuzaz, but the agile General jumped back. His stern, hard face was unreadable. Nodoka swung his spear horizontally, but the General jumped up and off the wall, springing towards Nodoka's face with his deadly weapons. The silver-haired, quiet warrior ducked just in time, as Fhuzaz went sailing over him. While he was still in the air, Mai flicked knives at him, which were all blocked by his katanas. Neither Keioushi nor Ty Lee were able to get very close, since both Nodoka and Fhuzaz were fighting rapidly in the narrow hallway.

Fhuzaz was able to find an opening in Nodoka's relentless attacks, and immediately went for it with his foot. The Earth Kingdom warrior was sent into the wall, smashing against it and sliding to the ground. Keioushi and Ty Lee took this chance to attack Fhuzaz, but he ran back down the hallway. The two rushed after him, with Mai stopping only to wake up Nodoka.

* * *

Outside the large doors to the War Room, Toph and Jet stopped to say good luck to the four ready to go in.

"You better make it out alive. I taught you well, Haru," the tiny earthbender said, crossing her arms and smirking. Haru and Shuang nodded resolutely, while Jin and Malu looked restless.

"Let's go in. Long Feng might be there," Jet said to Toph, who nodded. The six looked at the ornate black door.

Shuang pushed open the door, stepping through first. Inside was an expansive room with thick stone pillars, slightly resembling that of the Throne Room. Piza and Zhang were poring over a map of the city, planning out battle strategies. They looked up when the door opened.

"Ahh, look who it is!" Piza said cheerfully, shaking his head to get his long, black hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah, it's those puny wimps," Zhang grunted.

"We'll see you guys later," Jet whispered, running off with Toph.

"Thanks for ditching us," Shuang whispered back, but it fell on deaf ears.

"You think you're all high and mighty now, that you've invaded the Fire Nation? Well, I'd say you are all going to die. We'll make it slow and painful for you," Zhang said, getting right to the fight. He drew a long saber and flew at Jin, while Piza stayed behind and watched contentedly. The girl reflexively blocked the attack with her already drawn katana, while Shuang used the water from his skin to fly at Zhang with a frosty storm. Haru took off a chunk of the map, hurling it at Zhang, who was thrown back by Malu's attack. The Admiral rolled away from it just in time, as it was thrown right through the wall.

"Nice aim," Zhang said sarcastically, swinging his saber at Malu, who was closest. She circled around his attack, swinging her staff at him. The arc of air threw the Admiral off of his feet.

"Really, Zhang. Can't handle a few children?" Piza asked him childishly.

"Shut up!" the other firebender growled. He stood up, right when Jin rushed him with her katana. Her vertical arc nearly sliced him in half until he sidestepped. "You've all found masters, haven't you? And who's this? I thought the Avatar was a boy!" he said, referring to Malu.

"I'm an airbender!" she yelled back, throwing her Razor Disc at him. Zhang ducked as it arced through the air, cutting another large hole in the wall. This time it went all the way through, revealing the Palace gardens outside, and the darkness and sounds of battle reached their ears.

"You know, I'm getting sick of that," Piza said distastefully, eyeing the gaping hole in the War Room. "Ozai won't be happy about that."

"Help me finish these kids then!" Zhang yelled.

"No, it's much more fun watching," Piza replied with a dismissal of his hand, just as Haru used the pillars to crumble and fly at Zhang. The firebender quickly deflected the boulders with his sword, then jumped up into the air and kicked at Jin. Shuang's water froze into a javelin just as Zhang was about to attack her, but the Admiral hastily sliced it in half but they repositioned to attack him from two different sides.

Zhang roared in pain, just as Malu swung her staff. With a burst of air, the Admiral was thrown to the massive hole in the wall. A rock spike from Haru threw him outside into the Fire Palace Gardens. After the successive attacks, Zhang was unmoving until the four friends got there, Piza right behind them and enjoying the display. The Admiral got up shakily, two ice spikes still protruding from his sides. He looked up into the sky.

"This damned Eclipse will end soon," he rasped. "And then you will all die."

And then he fell.

* * *

Jet slashed right through the blood red curtain with the Fire Nation insignia, coming right into the Throne Room. It was larger than the War Room, with just as many stone pillars. Directly in front of them was the throne itself, with a magnificent golden statue of a dragon behind it. The sacred flames in front of the throne were extinguished.

And sitting on the throne, looking like he was enjoying it, was Long Feng himself. He looked mildly surprised to see Jet and Toph.

"Jet, how pleasant it is to see you again," he said with a knowing smirk. He stood up, jumping down from the raised platform and walking to the center of the room. "And the Bei Fong girl. I've had the pleasure of meeting your parents."

"You're going to pay for what you did," Jet said aggressively. And at that moment, he realized why the soldiers were so ready to defend the city. Long Feng told the Fire Lord the date of the invasion.

"Jet, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai," Long Feng said, standing regal and stiff, as always. His words were ringing inside of him, bringing back his angry memories of the firebenders destroying his home. A sense of peacefulness and overwhelming stupor descended upon him. There was something greater than it, however, deep down, and seeing the firebenders in his memories made him think of her.

Azula.

He shook his head. His thoughts of Azula negated the Dai Li's hypnosis powers. "That's not gonna work on me this time!" he yelled, rushing at the corruptive leader with his swords.

"Jet, wait!" Toph shouted, just as a rock spike appeared directly in front of him. Long Feng hadn't moved. Six Dai Li members emerged from their stations on the pillars, latching there like spiders. One of the pillars crumbled at Toph's command. "I'll deal with these guys, you take Long Feng!" she added to Jet.

The Freedom Fighter faced the earthbender, and both got into a low stance. Long Feng made the first move, pulling up a block of stone, then twisting his hand as it flew at Jet. The boy both deflected it and dodged out of the way.

"Why'd you do it? Why did you join the Fire Lord?" he interrogated him, rushing at the man with his swords.

A block of stone rose under his feet, but the boy jumped over it and slashed at him. Long Feng jumped backwards. "I saw a better opportunity for myself," he answered simply. More loud crashes of stone on stone were heard as Toph was probably dealing with the Dai Li.

"You're a filthy traitor, and that's all you'll ever be," Jet said, successfully landing a hit on the older man's shoulder. Long Feng made no indication that he was hit, though his arm visibly bled. The earthbender suddenly jumped high above Jet, jumping off of a pillar and landing on the ceiling. He took a chunk of it off, which fell right towards Jet. He ran to the left, but was blocked by a pillar. He ran to the right, where he nearly ran into an earth wall that Long Feng somehow erected as he jumped. Jet hastily ran towards the throne, right as the chunk landed, crashing and making a sound so loud that it was probably heard throughout the Palace. Long Feng landed, twisting his body so that his dark robes and ponytail flew all over the place. Rock spikes erupted from the ground, shooting straight towards Jet. The boy jumped towards the throne, landing gracefully in front of it. He then jumped towards Long Feng, batting away a stray rock from the Dai Li, ducked under an attack from Long Feng, and slashed at him with his swords. The earthbender grabbed one of the blades with astoundingly quick reflexes, but the other went towards his ankle. Jet pulled, causing the leader of the Dai Li to lose his footing and fall with a grunt. Jet held up his other, now freed, sword, ready to get his revenge on Long Feng, the man that nearly killed him.

At that moment, the ground shook violently, causing Jet to stumble. Several of the pillars crumbled to the ground. The massive quake was causing cracks to web through the floor, and Long Feng chose to take advantage of this distraction and punch him with an arm encased in rock. The boy fell to the ground, unconscious.

"All right, it's just me an' you now!" Toph said to Long Feng, smirking. The Dai Li members, his escort and most powerful earthbending allies, were all gone. He wondered what the petite girl did to them. "It's time to show you what happens when you mess with my parents."

* * *

The woman that had shown herself came from down the temple stairs, wearing a smirk not unlike the one Azula normally held. This woman's eyes were pure black, cold, and dead. She had pin straight black hair, and wore heavy Fire Nation robes, except that around her neckline was ruffled black panther-wolf fur, giving her a somewhat wild look. An enormous hilt protruded from behind her, and on the opposite side, closer to her legs, a gigantic sword was visible.

"Yasha," Ursa growled.

"Who?" Zuko asked, not taking his eyes off of the newcomer. Ozai wasn't attacking, and he didn't seem like he would anytime soon.

"Father's second wife," Azula supplied for him. Aang looked at her, and she seemed familiar in a weird, twisted way.

"So you turned out to have stolen him after all," Ursa said, holding her broadswords out. "You have gotten what you've always wanted, big sister."

Aang, Zuko, and Azula stumbled at this news. The three looked at the woman in a new fashion, and Aang noticed now why she looked so familiar. She looked almost exactly like Ursa, except with a little bit of Azula's malevolent glint thrown in.

"I always thought you were dead, Ursa," Yasha said maliciously. "Now let's get this fight going. I want blood."

"It seems that everyone thought I was dead," Ursa returned. "And I agree. Let's start this."

"Wait, my dear wives," Ozai interrupted, looking calm. "Ursa, _everyone _thought you were dead? You haven't told our children what happened on that night?" Both Zuko and Azula straightened, staring at their mother expectantly. A pained look came to Ursa's eyes, but she too straightened.

"You are right. They deserve to know," she said quietly. "Zuko, Azula, I wanted to tell you why I had to go, why I had to leave you two to this monster. I want to tell you... just in case I don't survive this...I know there isn't much time, but please listen..."

* * *

_Ursa rushed straight to the Throne Room, running the night's events through her head. Her nephew, Lu Ten, died, and she saw both Zuko and Azula perform their skills to Azulon, but her son had failed. He rushed off to bed shortly afterwards, right when she heard Azula mocking him._

"_Daddy wants to kill Zuko, I heard him," the girl said to her, once Ursa demanded to know what she was talking about. Immediately after, she ran to speak to Azulon about his order._

_Not even bothering to stop and better present herself, Ursa rushed through the red curtain, and again, not even bothering to bow in front of the Fire Lord, as was necessary._

"_What is this I hear of about your order?!" she demanded, trembling with anger._

_Azulon simply stared at her for a few moments, his hands crossed calmly. The fire covered his face in shadows. "Ozai does not know the pain of losing a child, and he requested of me to give him the title as heir to my throne!" the Fire Lord yelled, flames flaring. Ursa didn't flinch._

"_Zuko did nothing wrong! Spare him, please! Take me instead!" she begged, tears streaming down her face._

"_No. That boy is worthless and disposable. I do not want that kind of weakness dirtying my noble line!"_

"_Zuko isn't weak!" she yelled, unconsciously bending. Fire leapt out of her, circling all around her in a raging inferno. The tempest lashed out at Azulon, who was unprepared for the attack. Her firebending skills were always mediocre and unrefined without a master. She could barely make a flame flicker to life in her palms._

"_Foolish woman! You will be killed for this treachery!" Azulon boomed, his face burned and twisted in demented fury. Golden flames came to life in his hands, rushing towards Ursa. She could do nothing._

_A beam of red fire suddenly blocked the blast, and Ozai entered the scene._

"_Don't you betray me too!" Azulon roared in fury and the two men dueled. Father and son were equal in power. Ursa kneeled on the ground, watching with pure terror on her face._

_Ozai eventually won out over his father, as Azulon fell to the ground, a blackened corpse. Ursa trembled in fear._

"_What have I done?" she moaned, rocking on her feet. Her face was soaked with tears. She had weakened Azulon. Because of her, Ozai was able to defeat him._

_  
"Leave the Fire Nation, now!" Ozai ordered to her. "You are a traitor, and if you do not flee you will be killed on sight!" He chased her out of the room with several fire blasts, and she ran, crying, straight to her bedroom. She hastily packed her things, clearing her face of tears, and went to say her final goodbyes to her children..._

* * *

Everyone was quiet, absorbing the information, until Bumi whispered to Aang, "The Eclipse won't last forever."

"You're right," Aang said loudly, facing Ozai. The others regained their bearings, but Yasha burst out laughing.

"Look at them, they think they can win!" she cackled. She drew the great sword from her back, holding it out without trembling of its weight. Ozai picked up a golden lance from the base of the dragon statue.

"Show us how powerful the Avatar really is!" Ozai yelled, holding his weapon out. Zuko rushed at him first, furiously, just as Ursa slashed at Yasha with her broadswords. Aang jumped high into the air, unleashing a torrent of winds down below. Ozai dodged with incredible speed, and somehow pushed Zuko in the way of the attack. Azula jumped from the side and dove with her brother out of the way. He had no time to express gratitude, because Ozai was on him, his golden lance flashing through the air with inhuman speed. Every clash the spear made with his swords Zuko tired, his arms becoming heavier and heavier. Azula went behind Ozai, stabbing at him with one of her daggers. He dodged, bringing his spear around to hit her, but she was nearly as fast as he was. She dodged through it, but the Fire Lord was able to knee her in the face. She recoiled, but Ozai hit her with the butt of his spear and she was sent to the other side of the large chamber. Aang returned to the battle, landing on the ground and causing it to tremor, but it didn't faze Ozai in the slightest. Bumi suddenly surfed over on a slab of stone, crumbling parts of the carefully carved floor into smaller stones and slamming them into Ozai.

The Fire Lord effortlessly blocked it with his spear, walking towards Bumi and positioning his weapon straight toward him. Aang smacked him on the side of his head with the water whip, but it did nothing to Ozai. He didn't even look at Aang.

"I can feel it. The Eclipse is ending," Ozai said, reveling in the warmth and holding his arms out. Zuko, Azula, and Aang attacked from both sides, weapons held out. Aang sent an arc of air at the Lord, but he deftly blocked it with his spear, continuing his walk towards Bumi. The King kicked boulders out at him, threw a large pillar, and even lifted the stone statues throughout the chamber to hurl at Ozai. Aang had never seen his friend bend so well, but it did nothing. Ozai was able to cross the room in a second, dodging all attacks.

The four were able to surround him, cutting off his escape. Each of them attacked him at once, Aang and Bumi with earth, and Azula and Zuko with their weapons. Ozai couldn't block them all at once, could he? At the moment of impact, Ozai dropped his lance and spread his arms out, a circle of flame pushing them all away. They were all thrown against walls, with the exception of Ursa and Yasha, who were still fighting rapidly not far away. Before Aang could get up, Ozai switched his target to him, holding his palm behind him. A ball of white, brighter than any flame Aang had ever seen, lit up in his hand. This small amount of flame would surely kill him. The Avatar jumped out of the way, just as the Fire Lord threw it. The spot where he was moments before was now molten, and it was melting through the stone floor. More balls of white fire were lit in a circle around Ozai, floating and just ready to attack.

The Eclipse had ended. They had failed.

"We can't give up yet!" Aang yelled to his comrades.

"You cannot win!" Ozai yelled, as all of the balls of fire flew towards Aang. He jumped high into the air, out of the way of the attack. Still in the air, he threw his staff away, shooting several fireballs rapidly at the Fire Lord. Zuko and Azula both sheathed their weapons, adding their own flames. Ozai threw up a barrier of red fire until the attacks ended, then with a flick of his wrist a whole column of white and red fire materialized right where Zuko was standing, reaching the ceiling far above and burning right through it. Aang, who was on this ceiling, jumped to the ground, landing with a shocking tremor that burst a giant chasm through the floor. Ozai shot great amounts of red fire down at him, which Aang was just able to block with barriers of air. The final, strongest attack hit him, sending him through the floor and several floors below him. His bit of earthbending reduced the pain.

Ursa and Yasha continued to fight, their weapons flashing everywhere. Yasha was able to strike just as fast as Ursa, though her weapon was much larger. It took them a few moments to realize their bending was back under their command, and their swords were thrown away. Ursa put her hands together as if in prayer, spreading them apart and shooting red fire at her sister, who blocked it with a wave of her hand. Both were sweating, panting from their loss of energy, but continued to fight. They traded jets of fire, agilely leaping out of the way and returning attacks just as strong. Ursa added lightning to the mix, but both were evenly matched fighters.

Bumi attacked Ozai with the rubble left over from his and Aang's attacks, as Azula forked lightning out at the Fire Lord. Her attack was the first true one that seemed to hurt Ozai, but a jet of white fire stopped her from attacking. Zuko moved as if dancing, unleashing torrents of fire on Ozai. The Fire Lord simply stepped into the gaping hole after Aang, landing gracefully in front of the unmoving Avatar several floors below. Zuko, Azula, and Bumi jumped down right after him. Ozai, again, was just about to kill Aang when he was distracted by an arc of fire from Zuko, and several blocks of stone from Bumi.

Aang stirred, standing up, and realizing just in time where he was. He regained his balance, pulling the water from the still-working fountain and unleashing it on Ozai; the unexpected attack threw him against the marble stonework. Aang covered his arms in the glistening water, stabbing at him with the sharp attacks. The whips hardened into ice, then stabbed at Ozai like a pincer. The Fire Lord protected himself with white fire, and in a cloud of steam, most of the water was gone.

"Aang, the Avatar State!" Zuko yelled, sending cannons of flame towards his father. "We'll protect you!"

Trusting his friends, Aang covered himself in a dome of stone, frantically unlocking his chakras. He was too worried for his friends, but was eventually able to calm himself and shut off all sounds from outside.

The pools of energy whirled through his body, struggling to unlock in the heat of the situation. _Calm down! _he yelled at himself, but it didn't work.

The fight continued outside. Zuko, Azula, and Bumi threw all of their attacks at Ozai, but he was simply playing with them.

"You are an extra," Ozai said, locking his gaze on Bumi. "And thus, you will be the first to die."

"You are very confident," Bumi said, ready to give his all. He could fight forever. Ozai easily hit Zuko and Azula away simultaneously with torrents of fire from his mouth, then raised his hands, with trails of white fire following. Bumi moved quickly, using the marble stonework to crush the Fire Lord, but he simply broke through them. The Earth King was shaking the foundations of the temple, pillars of stone erupting from the ground and rising towards Ozai. The Fire Lord completed his movements, a wall of pure, white fire erected in front of him, and he pushed it towards the Earth King at lightning speeds. Bumi raised a stone slab in an effort to block the attack, at the same time sending tremors through his legs and into the ground. At the moment of impact, a bright light and a cracking sound nearly blinded and deafened Zuko and Azula, who could do nothing but watch.

When they could see again, there was a giant crater, and at the bottom, was King Bumi, unmoving.

The King of Omashu, one of Aang's best friends and allies, was dead.

* * *

They were fighting for so long, but Katara wasn't tired yet. Her anger ebbed, and she was finally able to fight General Zin calmly. The leader of the Blaze Brigade and Iroh and Ozai's younger brother was still fighting skillfully, especially after the Eclipse ended.

Zin was a strong firebender. He used red flames, but so much that nobody could get close. Katara took hold of all the leaves again, sending them bulleting towards Zin. The firebender was trading blows with Sokka and Suki, who were both still fighting strong. The hailstorm of leaves connected, cutting up his already ragged robes. Katara ignored her previous burns, let go of the leaves, and took hold of the pond water. It rushed at Zin, who reacted with arcs of flame from his feet. The leaves fell slowly around them.

Katara brought up a wall of water to block the attack just in time, which turned into steam and floated away. By now, the whole courtyard was blazing, and her water supply was slowly dying. The streams of water in the air cut at the firebender, who decided to fend them off with arcs of fire. At the same time, while Katara thought he was distracted, a flaming orb was sent at her, and she blocked some of it with the water from her skin at her side. It wasn't enough to block the full force of the attack, and she was sent flying into the stone walls and brambles. She stood up shakily, her hair still undone, and she realized something.

There was no more water left at her disposal. The heat of the flames dissipated most of it, and the burning plants all around her couldn't be bended. She was sweating, afraid, and burnt, and she could do nothing about it. Her whole brow was wet; the heat of the flames all around her was really taking its toll... _Wait! Sweat! Sweat is water! _She thought frantically, struggling to remember some long-forgotten memory.

_Now, here is one final warning. Plants aren't the only thing that can be used as vessels, _the voice echoed in her head. It was Huu, teaching them how to plant bend. _That _was why waterbending was one of the most dangerous arts! _That _was why Huu was reluctant to teach them!

And if she had water in her body, why couldn't Zin? She closed her eyes, trying to feel for it inside of him. There it was... and he was made of mostly water, just like her... She smirked triumphantly, beginning a kind of dance. Zin began moving erratically, surprised at his own movements. He began looking afraid, unable to control it. Katara was still dancing; she was the puppetmaster, and he was the puppet.

Sokka and Suki stood, transfixed and confused. They were bloody and tired, sweating just like her. Katara, who had no water left, had another idea. She began pulling it from Zin's skin, which immediately dried from where she took it. The tiny wisps of water came from his fingers, and she pushed the weakened man with it, who now looked at her in anger, realizing what was happening to him. It was a shame she couldn't make him firebend.

For some reason, he did it himself, shooting uncontrolled flames, and some of them got to Katara. She released her hold on him, holding her burnt hand, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Why did burnt hands hurt more than her other burns?

"Stupid girl," Zin said furiously, turning to her. "You have nothing left. Your water is gone, and I'm not about to let you control me again. That was it? That was the greatest power of the waterbenders? It wasn't enough. Die, girl!" he yelled, ready to shoot her with torrents of flames. Katara did nothing, knowing that was all she could do. At that moment, Sokka's boomerang came out of nowhere and hit him in the head. Zin fell to the ground, unconscious.

"We've gotta get out of here, Katara!" Sokka yelled to her. "The Eclipse ended!"

"We can't give up now!" she yelled back desperately. She looked at the motionless Zin, and she couldn't bring herself to kill him, with no means to defend himself. It wasn't in her nature.

"Katara, the others must need our help," Suki said to her. Sokka was already running from the burning courtyard. The two girls followed, leaving the General lying there. "Let's pray that Aang was able to defeat the Fire Lord before the Eclipse ended..." she said quietly.

As Katara ran, she could only hope that they could.

* * *

Nodoka, Keioushi, and Mai were all down, because Ty Lee was the only one quick enough to block the General's attacks. Fhuzaz attacked her with flaming swords, which hissed through the air and missed her by inches. The nimble acrobat fought furiously, protecting her friends from further harm. She was constantly ducking and jabbing at the man, but he dodged as if he knew all of her attacks.

"You have gotten better," he said quietly, his flaming weapon narrowly missing her neck.

"That's because I'm on the good side now. I am friends with the Avatar," she said seriously, rolling from his next attack. "And I can fight all night."

"So can I," he answered, his face impassive. He crossed his swords together, and a flaming X shot out at Ty Lee. She jumped over it, bending fluidly and shooting her whole body out at Fhuzaz. He blocked her feet with his swords, which were no longer flaming, and she jumped off of them again. Her teeth clenched, she ran forward at the man again, ducking between his legs and emerging behind him, punching at his back and narrowly missing a pressure point. She unleashed all of her pent-up anger at the man, but the chamber was oddly quiet. There were no voices, no crashes, no bending—just them.

She knew the man was heartless, and she knew he'd have no qualms about killing her at this point. She'd do the same. She knew a few pressure points, that if pressed, they'd kill.

Fhuzaz suddenly jumped back, sheathing his weapons. "All of the other fighting is over. I can sense it," he said darkly. And then he simply walked away.

"Don't walk away from me!" she yelled, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'll kill you, Dad!"

He didn't answer, and she wasn't stupid enough to go after him. Her friends needed help. They needed to get out of there.

* * *

Piza was more than freaky. He was terrifying, sadistic, and crazy. They would not stop fighting until they killed him, or they were killed. Blue and red fire circled all around him, and on several occasions Shuang, Haru, Jin, and Malu all got burned. Zhang's body was swallowed in the inferno, and as his body turned to ash, a tiny red light came from him and was absorbed into Piza. Haru did not know what to make of this.

Malu used her Razor Disc attack, which narrowly missed him and cut off a large portion of his hair. Absolutely livid, the General turned to her, and the fires revolving around him stopped. He put his hands together, preparing for another terrifying attack. He gathered all of his energy, and a burst of _white fire _erupted from his palms, and only a pillar of stone from Haru was able to get Malu out of the way. Even though it hurt her, she was still alive. The white fire burnt through the ground, destroying much of the garden and making a crater where Malu was standing seconds before. Fortunately, it seemed to have exhausted a lot of Piza's energy.

Shuang gathered water from all of the ornate fountains randomly placed throughout the garden, sending it at the panting Piza. The General did nothing, and the attack bowled him over. Jin rushed at him with _Kira-Duragon_, slashing her katana at him. The black-robed firebender dodged weakly, and Jin slashed him right above the eye. Piza yelled in rage, his unblemished face now running with blood, which would probably scar him.

"You bitch!" he yelled at her, slapping the girl with the back of his hand. She was thrown back a few feet, disoriented, but attacked with her sword again. The crazy General waved his arm, and she was sent back with an arc of red fire. Haru took off a piece of the Palace walls, hurling it at Piza. The General weakly sent a blast of lightning at it, which destroyed the projectile. Malu, who was now recovered, came at him with a blast of air, manipulating the currents to pick him up. Piza, his elbow-length black hair flying in all directions, was thrown over the Palace walls and out of the garden.

"Think he's... dead?" Jin asked, leaning on her katana for support.

"I think so," Shuang said, kneeling on the ground.

"We should get back to the others," Malu suggested. She was also completely winded, rubbing sore spots on her body. Her kind grey eyes were filled with a desire to help.

Haru looked into the sky, and he was sure that he wasn't the only one with a bad feeling.

* * *

Toph and Long Feng traded blows for a while, but the leader of the Dai Li refused to fall. The Eclipse didn't affect them. They were both earthbenders, relying on the ground to fight. The Dai Li were gone, and Jet was just stirring.

"We should end this, right now," Long Feng said, halting his attacks. "We have been fighting for far too long."

"You're just afraid of me," she said, smirking. The ground was ripped up all around the two, but Toph didn't let any harm come to Jet.

"I have nothing to fear from a little girl, though I must admit you are a strong bender," he replied. "Let's see if you are strong enough for this!" Long Feng suddenly punched his hands into the ground, causing even more tremors to shake the Palace's foundations. The Throne Room simply couldn't take any more damage, and the blind girl could feel it falling all around her. She put her hands to one of the pillars, struggling to hold it up.

The sounds apparently caused Jet to finally wake up, just as Long Feng somehow left the crumbling room.

"Toph, let's get out of here!" the boy yelled, holding his aching head.

"If I let go, the place'll fall apart!" she yelled back, teeth clenched.

"But you can't hold it forever!"

"Just go, I'll catch up!"

"Toph, I'm not leaving until you come with me!"

Cursing Jet's stubbornness and making a last minute decision, the Blind Bandit let go. She hastily picked up a slab of stone, using it to protect them both, as they fled from the room, which fell to pieces behind them.

* * *

Song felt horribly out of place, yet again. She was in war, and there was death and destruction going on all around her. When the Eclipse ended, the firebenders fought back, and the Blaze Brigade emerged from seemingly nowhere. The rebels were being driven back to the ports. But they kept fighting and persisting. This battle hinged on the balance of the world, and if they failed, Sozin's Comet would fall, giving the firebenders unstoppable power. This was their decisive battle, which would decide on the fate of the world itself.

Kei did all he could to protect the girl as she fought with ranged attacks, using her rarely-used poisonous powders. Instant, painless death came to those who were shot by her slingshot.

Smellerbee, Longshot, and Jeong Jeong were not far from them, and they probably took down at least a hundred soldiers each. Everyone was covered in blood and sweat, and they wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer...

Song and Kei were knocked away from their friends, tumbling down the stairs to the Peasant's District. Song fell on the body of a dead kappa, and she almost puked. It reeked of rotten fish. She quickly got up, refusing to be killed on the ground. Kei, decked in his armor, did the same. Longshot was shooting down several soldiers, and they all fell to the calm killer. Smellerbee was quickest of them all, dodging and weaving between attacks, striking in all the deadliest places.

Eventually, Longshot and Smellerbee were thrown down the stairs, just as Song and Kei were making their way up again. Jeong Jeong was up there all alone, and the rest of the rebels were still scattered throughout the Peasant's District, being picked off.

"Jeong Jeong!" Song shouted. The man had helped her so long ago, and she didn't want anything to happen to him. Leaving her three friends behind, she rushed up, loading her sling. When she reached the top, she was greeted by a horrible sight. The soldiers were closing in on the firebender, and he was surrounded by at least fifty. Song began shooting them down desperately—during the short time she spent at his rebels' camp he was very kind to her.

The firebender looked calm, and ready to accept his fate. With one single glance at her, which told her all she needed to know, her eyes streamed with tears. "No! Don't do it!"

He kneeled on the ground, and then spread his arms wide. The soldiers looked at him oddly for his movements, until he clapped them together. With one final spin, Jeong Jeong became devoured by flames, and a fiery inferno twisted all around and destroyed the enemy soldiers. The flames came nowhere near Song. She was reminded of Jeong Jeong's disappearing acts.

But somehow, she knew, this time he wouldn't come back.

* * *

"Where is he?!" Zuko yelled furiously, looking all around. "He can't have just disappeared!"

"He's gone," Azula said calmly, flicking her hair out of her face. "I can't believe it. I liked that King. He was rather funny."

"Shut up, Azula! You were probably still on his side!" he yelled, turning on her.

"What are you talking about? I helped fight him, and believe me, he hurt me a lot," she retorted dangerously.

He was about to bite back, but the rocky dome Aang was inside of broke into pieces, as a ray of light descended on the Avatar. The winds were blowing furiously; he was floating in the air, his eyes and tattoos glowing. "Where is he?" the Avatar demanded, his voice echoing the Avatars of the past. Even though they were allies, Zuko couldn't help but feel some fear of the boy.

"He fled," Zuko said, falling to his knees. "Gone. And he killed..." Zuko gulped, and whispered, "...Bumi."

The winds gained speed, the ground trembled, the air chilled, and volcanoes churned. Zuko and Azula were struggling to remain on their feet, and the Fire Prince was thrown back into the wall. Aang made an anguished shout

"Avatar... Aang!" Azula shouted to him. "Stop this! Death is a part of war! We must all make sacrifices!"

"He died a hero!" Zuko yelled, adding to Azula's words. Ursa came rushing down the spiral stairs, looking worse for wear but overall okay.

"What's happening?" she shouted.

"Bumi's dead!"

"Avatar Aang! You must stop! The Temple is about to fall on us!" Ursa yelled to him. That seemed to do it. The winds died down, the light died, and the boy was trembling. The three of them went to catch him.

"It was all for nothing," Aang said sadly. "All we did were suffer losses."

Everyone was quiet, until Zuko said, "We should get his body."

It was a solemn moment, they all moved slowly and quietly as they worked. Aang encased him in stone, tears streaming down his face. He lost one of his oldest friends. _Why did this have to happen to Bumi, the mad genius? _The old King didn't deserve this... He was a great man...

Aang, being the only earthbender, had to hold it himself. He felt an empty pit in his stomach... Bumi seemed so tough, so kind, so untouched. It was just like Omashu. Aang never thought it would be taken, but they were able to get it back. They would never be able to take Bumi back. He was gone... gone forever.

Below them, Aang could visibly see the rebels retreating back to the ships, and in the distance, great waves of the kappas were defending the rebels as they tried to find safety. He could see Katara, and Sokka, and Toph... all fleeing back to the ships.

They had failed. The Eclipse ended, but Sozin's Comet was still going to come.

* * *

**Author's Note: This was definitely my favorite chapter. I thought I'd end it on a sad note, though. You thought I was gonna end it here, didn't 'cha? Oh, Ozai's white fire wasn't originally my idea. I give most of the credit to Hold On Tight for that.**

**Please review. I want to know what you all think ;D**


	31. The Funeral

**Author's Notes: Some of you may or may not have noticed that "The Fire Lord" chapter was the end of Book 3: Fire! Now we move on to Book 4: Air. Yes, you may be wondering why I don't just start a whole new story, but Book 4: Air will be kind of short in "Power of a Thousand Spirits." My sequel, title undecided, will hold the rest of Book 4: Air.**

**Anonymous Review Responses:**

**Story Critic: I'm glad you liked it :D I'll answer your questions the best I can. 1—As stated above, yes, there will be a sequel. And even a third story, which will focus on their kids. And yes, it will have a plot, and a good one if I say so myself. 2—No matter what your name is, I value all kinds of input, flames or otherwise. 3—"Power of a Thousand Spirits" will end on Chapter 37. I'll let you decide on the second part of that question, though :D**

**Me: Glad you like the story! And yes, I'm sure there are many people who want to kill Ozai right about now. Thanks for the review!**

**PenguinPuu25: Lol, I see what you mean about not being sure if you liked it. But trust me... there is still hope. You'll find out in this chapter. And about Aang being dumb during the fight, he was so caught up in the fight that he didn't even think about it. And even though he opened the chakras, he can't just flash in and out of the Avatar State. It would still take a while. Maybe not as long as opening all of the chakras like they did in "The Guru," but still kind of long. And sorry that you didn't like the Generals, I thought they were interesting. You know I like having lots of characters, lol. And btw, the e-mail didn't work. Fanfiction(dot)net doesn't like when you put links for stuff. You have to do what I just did. Thanks for the review!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 4: Air**

_Chapter 1: The Funeral_

Sokka was expecting celebrations. He was expecting to be a hero, along with Aang and the others. He was expecting to live a long and happy life with Suki. He was expecting the war to be over.

Instead, it was a disaster. A leading figure in the Earth Kingdom was dead, Ozai was still alive, and the war would continue... for just a few more days. In less than a week, Sozin's Comet would pass through the sky. There was no hope left for them. All of the troops were just able to escape the Fire Nation, and now they were in Omashu, preparing for Bumi's burial. It was a sad thought, and Sokka always liked the King. Aang, by far, was the most devastated. He often chose to be alone, sulking around the Palace, calling for ghosts of the past...

He couldn't help but feel that their little family was falling apart. They used to be held together by hope, a chance to end the war and bring peace to the world. Something had to be done. Katara couldn't be relied on to keep them together at the moment; she was almost in the same state as Aang, choosing to stay in her bedroom emerging after hours with puffy, tear-stained eyes.

It took little to set Toph off since the day of the Eclipse. She was always so angry, lashing out at people with fury if they so much as nudged her in passing. Zuko was more aloof than usual, and his occasional happier moments with Katara were now no more. The few of them that were easily able to keep themselves together were barely doing anything, and for the most part they just seemed confused. Mai seemed slightly amused and rather bored that she was back in Omashu, and Nodoka, who trooped behind her like an ever-silent guardian seemed unsure of what to do.

And then there was Ty Lee, who was always bawling like a baby. Keioushi did his best to comfort her, but her loud and rather violent sobs seemed to have no end, so they just left her to herself. Azula and Suki both seemed to have a kind of forlorn emptiness about them, Azula because she failed to defeat her father and Suki because of the overwhelming depression that was going around.

Sokka was heading down into the bowels of the Palace, passed the dungeons and the storage areas, and down into the crypts. The burial chamber of past kings of Omashu was very large and very wide. The tombs were lined up in the walls, and on there Sokka could see the names of past Kings and Queens, but all the way on top were the places of "Oma" and "Shu." King Bumi's name was already inscribed into the stone, all the way on bottom. The King was already in a stone coffin, right outside of his final resting place.

Sokka was slightly surprised to see Aang step up in front of them all to give the eulogy. The young Avatar, with eyes no longer innocent, eyes that had seen death and destruction, braced himself for his own words. Sokka thought that it was appropriate for Aang to do this. He was Bumi's only living peer.

"A little over one hundred years ago, I was lucky enough to meet the person who would soon become my best friend, Bumi. It was right here, in Omashu, his birthplace. I used to think he was crazy." Here, Aang laughed slightly. "But he was more than that, he was a mad genius." At this, many of the people who came to pay their respects laughed. "He was one of the wisest people I had ever met, and he always told me to think of the possibilities. It was his idea to ride down the mail delivery systems like a slide..."

* * *

When Aang finished, he and two heavily robed earthbenders pushed the stone coffin into the wall, and sealed it shut. The people watched silently. All of the friends of the Avatar were there, including Master Qi Yi, Ursa, Dizi, and the other Generals. Chey, who was also there, was totally distressed over the death of Jeong Jeong, whose funeral was the day before. Unnamed nobles and important figures in Omashu were also present.

Katara wept silently for not only the King, but her companions, her family. She did not notice Zuko walking over to her until he placed a hand on her shoulder. She sniffled, and regained her normal composure with a slight hiccup.

"We do things differently in the Water Tribes," she said quietly, as the other funeral-goers were standing up to leave. "Our dead are wrapped up and put in the water to rest."

"In the Fire Nation we burn our dead," Zuko said solemnly. "It's not surprising that all of our nations bury our dead differently."

"I remember my mother's funeral," Katara said, pulling her knees to her chest. "It was cold that day, and snowing. It felt as if the skies were weeping for all those that we had lost in the raid." Zuko looked at her sympathetically.

"We should go outside. Fresh air will be nice," he said, standing up from his seat. He held out a hand to the waterbender, who took it willingly, and together they walked out of the crypts of Omashu.

* * *

Aang, on the other hand, walked deeper into the crypts. He was not afraid of being in a place like this alone. In fact, he felt empty of all emotion. He had lost one of his best and wisest friends, his only link to the past. Aang should have grown old with his friend. He should have stopped this war from happening in the first place!

He did not know why he wanted to go all the way down here, but he felt something calling for him, drawing him to it. He did not know what it could possibly be, but he felt no evil intentions, no danger. It was a peaceful calling. It was a part of him that was awakened, calling out. It was something he was vaguely familiar with, but he wanted to make sure.

At last, after spending several endless minutes sloping down the bleak and dark halls, he came to a wide chamber, and in the middle, on a raised stone platform, was a crumbling stone arch. It looked as if it had been standing since the beginning of the city, and the slightest touch would make it fall. All around on the walls were ancient murals of the story of the star-crossed lovers, Oma and Shu. The world's first earthbenders looked down at Aang from several different places. He knew what this was.

It was yet another portal to the Spirit World. He did not remember moving, or even thinking about moving, but he found himself sitting cross-legged directly under the arch, fists held together so that the arrows faced each other. Aang knew then what he wanted to do. If he got to the Spirit World, then maybe he could say good bye to Bumi.

It was easy for him now to enter the Avatar State. After less than a minute, he was able to do it with little conscious thought, as all of his tattoos glowed. His eyes remained closed, and he held himself stiffly in a meditative position.

His body remained underneath Omashu, but his soul wandered elsewhere...

* * *

The night in itself was a comfort to Katara, who felt the light of the moon give her energy. Yue was full tonight, as if to say sorry for all of the deaths and pain the ending of the Eclipse had caused. Katara, like all of them, felt no blame for the selfless girl. The stars twinkled mysteriously over the cloudless sky, and below them lights dotted the city. Zuko and Katara were both together on a balcony in the Palace, leaning on the stone railing.

"I never liked funerals," Zuko said, after a long, refreshing inhale of breath.

"Nobody does, Zuko," Katara pointed out to him, and they both laughed slightly in the lightening of the mood.

"But... the last funeral I was at was a terrible time for myself and my people," Zuko said, dispelling their light laughter. "The night before, Fire Lord Azulon had died, and my mother disappeared. Ozai became Fire Lord."

"It must have been terrible not knowing what happened to your mother," Katara said sadly. "You could have only thought that she was dead..." Zuko nodded. "All this talk of dying really worries me."

"I'm sorry," Zuko apologized quickly.

"No, no, it's not you. It's just making me so worried. The Eclipse has shown me that even though we saved Ba Sing Se and Omashu, everything won't come easy for us. Our team... isn't invincible. Anyone can die. What if something else happens to someone? Will we have funerals for them? Or... will there not be enough time? Things will get even harder once the Comet comes," she forced out, her voice breaking near the end. All of a sudden, she broke out into sobs, falling into Zuko and crying into his shoulder. He put both of his arms around her, silently letting her cry her heart out, knowing it was all he could do to help. She picked up her head after a few minutes, pulling away slightly to look at him. "What if something happens to you, or Aang, or Sokka? If I lost all three of you... I don't know what I would do. I'd be all alone in this world... and maybe I'd just die myself."

"Don't say that, Katara," he whispered, brushing her hair from her tear-stained face. "Promise me that you'll never give up if something happens, that you'll keep on fighting. You're strong, Katara." Looking into her eyes, he noticed her face shining brightly with silver, her tears reflected from the moonlight. It made her eyes shine brighter than ever before, a beautiful sea of deep cerulean, wide and hungering for comfort. And unable to control himself, he kissed her. It was a long and drawn out kiss, but neither moved away, neither of them moved at all. He didn't know how long it lasted, whether for several seconds, minutes, or even hours. He finally pulled away, waiting for her reaction. And to his surprise, she returned it.

He held her in his arms, promising to himself to never let go, as he tasted the saltiness on her lips from her tears, and on the inside he felt warmer than he ever had with his inner fire. He remembered all of their moments together, from the fights to the conversations full of laughter, and in the kiss he tried to communicate everything to her, even his unspoken feelings for her. And now, upon realizing that, he finally admitted it to himself. She was always on his mind, whether in the forefront or in the back, but now, he finally realized it. He loved her. _I love Katara_.

It was the greatest feeling in the world.

She must have understood, for she responded eagerly, telling him with that kiss of all her feelings, trying to fit in every wasted moment between them. How could he have possibly wasted time training, talking, or fighting? They should have known they'd have so little time together, and now that the comet was coming, it could mean the end for them all.

At last, they pulled away from each other, though he continued to hold her in his arms. They were panting as if they had just run a mile, but at the same time Zuko felt that if he decided to jump off of the balcony, he'd be able to fly. He felt absolutely reckless, like a great weight was lifted, like he could do anything. She was smiling, her ocean eyes twinkling joyfully. This was right. This was the way things should be.

"I promise."

* * *

First, all he could see was mist, swirling all around him and obscuring his view. He wished he could just bend it all away, but he was in the Spirit World, and mortals weren't allowed to do such things. As he thought this, he was able to see a dark figure, but that materialized into Avatar Roku.

"Avatar Roku!" Aang shouted, smiling for the first time in days.

"Hello, Aang," the older Avatar replied, offering a weak smile.

The boy then remembered that he was upset, and why he was there in the first place. "We lost," he said dejectedly. "I couldn't beat Ozai on the day of the Eclipse."

"Nonetheless, I am proud of you," Roku said. "You were able to master all four elements faster than any other Avatar in the past, a feat unimaginable to most people. You are a worthy Avatar."

"Thank you," Aang said, bowing respectfully. "But there's nothing left... We have no hope..."

"No, there is still one chance left," Roku interrupted him, and Aang looked up, his grey eyes suddenly inquiring, pushing him to go on. "Have you ever heard of the spirit called the Huan Ying?"

Aang thought for a moment, and then it came to him. "Yes. We went to a village once that worshipped it... But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything, Aang," Roku replied. "There is still a chance of defeating Ozai. This spirit is the bringer of the comet, of destruction. Defeating it will make Ozai weaker, and Sozin's Comet will not come."

Aang's jaw dropped. This was impossible! It was too good to be true! He was speechless.

"It is an angry spirit," Roku continued. "And it is very powerful, possibly stronger than Ozai himself. Do you think you can do it?"

"With the help of my friends, I can do anything," the boy responded dutifully, puffing with pride for his friends. He was startled when Roku shook his head.

"The Huan Ying resides in a place called the Phantom World, a plane for all evil spirits. The dead who have committed many sins go there, to suffer misery eternal. In the deepest bowels of the Phantom World you will find the Huan Ying. Defeat it, and you will be able to defeat Ozai."

"How do I get there?" Aang asked determinedly.

"There are portals, just like there are to the Spirit World. But beware; the Phantom World is nearly the opposite of the Spirit World. There, you can bend. You can be hurt. You can die. You may also... bring one friend," Roku explained, his voice cold. "This will be a terrible ordeal for you, Aang. But you must do it. I know you can."

"I will. Where is the portal?"

"One of the known portals to the Phantom World is in a place known as the Nei Zhan Fields, a place close to one you are familiar with."

"The Cave of Two Lovers! That's not far from here!" the boy said upon realization.

"Correct," Roku said, nodding. "Now, you must return to the mortal world. I will see you again..."

The old Avatar faded away, and Aang found himself rushing back to his body, and with excitement coursing through his veins, he dashed back up to the Palace.

* * *

Within the hour, Aang gathered all of his friends together in Omashu's largest chamber. He was ready to burst. Even Appa, Yanna, and Bahamut were there—besides, this was the chamber where they were kept at night.

"Everyone, I have really, really good news for us!" the boy cried out excitedly.

"What is it, Aang?" Jin asked, tilting her head.

"There's still a chance to beat Ozai!" As soon as he said this, there was an immediate outburst from everybody.

"What?"

"Are you kidding?"

"Before the Comet?"

"Yeah, there's this place called the Phantom World, where a spirit called the Huan Ying lives. _That's _the spirit that conjures the Comet! Defeating it will give us a chance!" He told them all about the Nei Zhan Fields, and how he met Roku, and the portal underneath Omashu.

"We'll mount an invasion on the supposed day of the Comet, and they'll expect to win!" Qi Yi exclaimed, sounding so uncharacteristic of him. He, Ursa, Dizi, and Chey were also there. "People all around the Earth Kingdom have been gathering near Ba Sing Se, Omashu, and Jihen. Our own scouts have been traveling around and recruiting people. I think we can really do this."

Everyone began cheering, and hugging, and some (like Sokka) cried with joy. There was still a chance. The happiness permeated throughout the room, spreading to even to the bison. Everyone stopped as Bahamut gave a loud, deep growl, lumbering over to Zuko. He extended one long whisker, and with a flash of white light, gave Zuko a vision.

Everyone waited for several quiet, tense seconds while Zuko stood in a dream-like state, but he came out of it quicker than expected.

"What did you see?" Katara asked.

"He showed me... a red dragon... killing Earth Kingdom troops," he said, his face white.

"Dragons can predict the future?" Jet asked him.

"No, it was a memory. It was probably from more than a hundred years ago, because the uniforms were much different," Zuko said stiffly.

"How can it be from a hundred years ago if Bahamut isn't even that old?" Aang asked, scratching his head.

"The memory was passed down to him," the Prince explained. "It was fuzzy."

"That's weird," Sokka said, as a messenger entered the chamber.

"Excuse me, sirs, but the feast has started," he said, bowing meekly.

"What feast?" Sokka asked.

"In honor for King Bumi," Ursa said. "But wait, I must tell you one thing." Everyone stopped, but the messenger hurried out of the room. "Beware of Yasha. She is a demon. She loves torturing her enemies, using non-lethal attacks, to make it as painful as possible. I regret to say that she is my sister."

"So she's like Azula?" Sokka asked. Katara smacked him in the back of the head, but Azula smirked.

"Yes, so I'd be careful if I were you," she said dangerously.

"Azula, enough," Ursa scolded. The Princess fell silent. "She is the new wife of Ozai, but if we see her again, I will deal with her," she finished, with a determined look in her eyes. Everyone was silent.

"Well, let's get to that feast!" Sokka and Shuang both said, and upon realizing this, they turned to each other and laughed. Everyone else filtered out of the room and sighed.

The vision was soon forgotten in the clatter for food and the sadness for Bumi. But there was still hope for the future.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I'm terribly sorry for this! Yeah, it's a short chapter, I know, but it was **_**very **_**difficult to write. I hope I did the Zutara scene right! It should be fun to see the reviews XD**

**And on that note, please review! lol**


	32. The Nei Zhan Fields

**Author's Notes: I'm so glad everyone liked my Zuko/Katara scene last chapter! There will be more. Oh, and before I forget, when Ursa said Yasha was a "demon" last chapter, that didn't mean she was a literal demon. She kind of meant like Azula was :) (Or still is... who knows?) I just thought I'd get that across.**

**Anonymous review responses:**

**Anonymous man: About your first question, I like Zutara over Kataang, pure and simple. I'm not sure why, maybe 'cause it gives it makes for a more "mature" relationship (as opposed to Katara being with Aang). And about your second question, I'm going to guess here, and I think I'm right, but I think you're really Story Critic, lol. That's okay, you didn't have to name yourself something different. You should have gotten an account though... doesn't this seem too public? Anyways, in response to the question, yes, I have, but I don't get bothered by those types of things, because I have my friends to back me up, so I ignore most of it. Anyways, thanks for the review!**

**Me: Nice guess, but you'll see :)**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 4: Air**

_Chapter 2: The Nei Zhan Fields_

Aang wasn't sure what to feel at the moment. The initial euphoria over a chance of defeating the Fire Lord once and for all wore off, replaced again by sadness for Bumi. His friends and allies were once again hopeful, chattering idly as they flew over the skies. The group left Omashu after a short rest, heading straight to the Nei Zhan Fields to try and find the portal to the Phantom World. Right now, Sokka was at the reins, while Aang, Toph, Suki, Jet, Azula, Smellerbee, and Longshot sat in the saddle. Katara and Zuko were on Bahamut together, as usual. Everyone else was a short distance away on Yanna.

There was a sort of tense air on top of Appa, because Suki, Jet, and Azula were intensely glaring at each other, and the tight space wasn't really helping. Azula looked ready to shoot Momo out of the air, who occasionally tried to land on her head. Aang, Toph, Smellerbee, and Longshot were trying to stop all of this, having their own conversation. Toph was once again holding Aang's arm in a death grip, but he no longer cared.

"So, Smellerbee, how are the other Freedom Fighters doing?" Aang asked loudly.

"Last time we checked, they were fine. The Duke and Pipsqueak are kind of leading them," she answered back.

"I like what you've done to your hair!" Aang said to her. Smellerbee blushed, running one of her ponytails through her fingers, and glanced at Longshot.

"Azula did it for me," she responded. "But thanks." At this, Azula and Suki stopped their staring contest, and the Fire Princess turned to them.

"Azula actually _did _something for _you_?" Aang asked, a look of mock surprise on his face.

"Oh, shut up. Something needed to be done with that mop," she said, waving her arm.

"It is nice," Longshot said, who just seemed to notice it. He brushed his fingers through it, and Smellerbee looked up with a small smile. The archer blushed. At this, Suki and Jet stopped glaring at each other when the Kyoshi Warrior went down to talk with Sokka. This gave them just a little more room, and allowed them to get a little more comfortable. It was early into the night, and they all silently agreed to get some sleep before stopping to get to the Phantom World. Jet leaned back into Suki's previous space, closing his eyes with a content sigh. Azula, next to him, scowled. Smellerbee, on the other side of her, curled up into a tight ball, reminding Aang oddly of a cat. Longshot chose not to sleep, and instead went up onto their enormous pile of luggage and sat as if for some kind of vigil.

A few minutes later, Azula attempted to go to sleep. Her eyes drooped, but she seemed unable to sleep. It was here that Toph started speaking to Aang.

"What do you think this Phantom World is going to be like?" she asked him.

"I don't know," he replied. Truthfully, he did not even think about that at all. Roku said it was a place for the damned spirits, so would it be a scary place? He had no idea.

"You scared?" she asked with a smirk.

"No, I don't think so," he answered, his face straight. "I'll do whatever it takes to end this war."

"Spoken like a true earthbender."

Here, Aang smiled slightly. "Because of you."

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, do you think we'll all be as famous as you once this is all over? You know, the 'Vanquishers of the Fire Lord' or something? I can be known as the Avatar's teacher. Yeah, I like that," she said contentedly.

"Hmm, you seem different," he pointed out to her. She just shrugged. "Kind of... happier."

"Yeah, well, I'm not Mai," she replied, causing the two of them to laugh. The two of them quickly stopped, however, in order not to awake their sleeping friends. It seemed that while they were talking, Azula was finally able to sleep... leaning against Jet's shoulder. Aang raised an eyebrow, especially since Momo seemed to find a spot on the girl's head. Toph must have also known they were asleep by their even breathing. "They're asleep, aren't they?"

"Yeah, and Azula fell asleep on Jet's shoulder!" he whispered, snickering. At this, Jet's eyes suddenly opened, turned to Aang, and winked. He closed his eyes again with a small smile on his face. This caused Aang to laugh harder.

"Can I see what they look like? I've seen everyone else, and I'd just like to get a permanent image of them in my head..." Toph said uneasily. Aang, with some difficulty, took his water pouch from his hip and bended the water to Toph's head. The girl's eyes flooded with emerald green again as she was able to see, and for a moment she watched Jet and Azula, Smellerbee and Longshot, and Sokka and Suki. Jet's eyes opened again, and he looked interested at this, but said nothing. Toph turned her gaze to Aang after a few moments, and she looked up at his head. "Oh, your hair is growing. I like it."

Aang scratched his head. "Yeah well, I haven't had time to shave it or anything, with all this stuff going on... But thanks," he said to her with a smile.

"It kind of makes your arrow look weird," she pointed out with a smirk.

"Again, thanks," he replied with a hint of sarcasm. Soon, with the rate it was growing at, it would pass over his arrow anyway. His dark hair was growing rather like Zuko's, in a messy fashion. "Do you think I should keep it like this?"

"Yes, you look older," she replied.

"So you're into older guys?"

"That's not what I meant, Twinkletoes." Aang laughed. "Whatever, I'm tired." And she promptly put her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Aang took the healing water away from her head, knowing that she wouldn't need it in her sleep. Aang stayed where he was, staring straight ahead and lost in thought. He still did not know what to expect in the Phantom World. Would he encounter malicious spirits other than the Huan Ying? Was it in a swamp setting, like in his trip to the Spirit World? His thoughts carried on for over an hour, and in that time Toph was fast asleep. He absently began stroking her hair, and after a while, leaned his head against hers and fell asleep, consumed by his thoughts.

* * *

"So do you think Aang will be able to defeat this Huan Ying alone?" Katara asked concernedly, looking up at Zuko. Her ocean blue eyes were wide with a little bit of fear.

"Yes, Aang is a strong bender. You know that," he answered, his own golden eyes warm and oddly comforting. She smiled, and snuggled into his chest.

"It's chilly," she explained.

"No need to come up with excuses," he said with a smirk, staring ahead. He was holding onto the reins of the dragon, and every once in a while he searched the ground below for some sort of shrine.

"I'm not, it's really cold!"

"Whatever," he said, laughing. She pulled her leg over onto one side of the serpentine dragon's body, leaning against Zuko's left arm.

"You know, if I wanted to... _kiss _you or something, I just would!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." And she did just that. He smiled as they kissed, because he loved being with her, especially like this. Ever since their first kiss, they did it often, trying to squeeze in as many moments to themselves as they could, not caring if anyone saw them. Once, Sokka walked in on them as they kissed, and the two paused, waiting for an angry outburst. His mouth hung open, and he seemed to _want _to yell, but he clamped his mouth shut, waved his arm, and said, "I'm not even gonna bother." Azula even found them once, and she just snorted and walked away.

Now, with just their foreheads pressed together, Katara smiled. "You know, I noticed something. Most moments between us... whether good, or bad... always happen at nighttime."

"That means the nights are ours," he answered, kissing her again. She reveled in the warmth of his body, she loved being close to him, she loved _him... _And at the same time, they decided.

This was the moment.

"Katara, I... you've changed me, and you've shown me everything. You've opened my eyes to the world. I..."

"I love you," she finished for him, and once again their lips joined.

Neither of them noticed Yanna flying a short distance above them, until something fell from her, causing the dragon to lurch. They heard a loud laugh, and the two separated with a sigh. The moment was ruined.

... By Ty Lee.

"What'cha two doing, you lovebirds?" she asked with a smile, tucking her legs into the rarely-used saddle.

"What did it look like we were doing?" Zuko said, annoyed. Katara giggled. "What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing really," she replied. "It was kinda crowded on Yanna, so we came to sleep down here!"

"'We'?" Katara asked.

"Come on down, Keio!" she hollered upward. Suddenly, a red blur jumped down from the bison, landing surprisingly lightly, considering his amount of muscle.

"Sorry about this dudes, but we kinda wanted privacy. There's a lotta people on that bison," he said, getting into Song's makeshift saddle.

"Did you ever think _we _wanted privacy?" Zuko muttered underneath his breath. Keioushi, flashing the two of them a triumphant grin, planted a kiss on Ty Lee, who smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"Well, there are a lot of people on top of Yanna..." Katara said, attempting to defend them. "Haru, Malu, Shuang, Jin, Mai, Nodoka, Song, Kei... Yeah, that's a lot. I'm surprised Appa and Yanna can fly for that long."

"That's beside the point, I don't get what—"

"Zuko, don't worry about it. We can share Bahamut every once in a while," she said, offering a smile to him.

"I guess you're right... but I'm going to kill Malu for letting them on," he said darkly, but Katara wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again, silencing the firebender.

* * *

Malu felt a little guilty about flying over Bahamut so both Ty Lee and Keioushi could jump on the dragon, but it needed to be done. Everyone was trying to relax, and it was pretty hard with the two of them around. Besides, it was extremely crowded on her bison. There were Kei and Song, who were both fast asleep, Mai and Nodoka, sleeping lightly and warily, as always. Shuang and Jin were close to each other in a peaceful slumber. Only Malu and Haru were awake, sitting on Yanna's braided head, searching for any sign of the portal to the Phantom World.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sokka suddenly shouted, and as soon as the others heard him they looked in all directions, trying to see if he found it. They saw nothing.

"What is it, Sokka?" Katara shouted to him, looking a little distressed.

"I just saw... this really cool bug! It was bright yellow, but I swear I saw red polka-dots and even a little blue! _But then Momo ate it! _Bad Momo!" he yelled, reprimanding the lemur, who looked a little guilty. Everyone slapped their foreheads.

"Thanks for scaring the crap out of us, Sokka," Shuang yelled to the warrior, grinning. A few minutes later, the same thing happened.

"What _now_, Sokka?" Katara asked, exasperated. Appa halted in the air, with a pull from Sokka.

"I really found it this time, look! It's right below us!" Malu pulled on Yanna's reins, swerving around to look at the supposed portal. Surprisingly, there it was. All three beasts landed near it.

"How were we not able to see it?" Jin asked, looking at it curiously.

"It's kind of creepy looking," Suki said uneasily. Malu agreed with her. It was a great black statue of a demon, placed under an obsidian arch with a weathered inscription. There was some sort of altar in front of the statue. How could they have missed it? Was it because of the night?

"Does anyone even know if there _is _such thing as a Phantom World?" Azula scoffed. "I mean, we can't just take the word of an old Avatar. Sure, it might have existed then, but what about now?"

"Of course there is, haven't you heard of the Nei Zhan Fields?" Haru asked, and everyone suddenly turned to him, surprised.

"I've learned of it in a history lesson," Nodoka said.

"Oh, yes, I remember now!" Suki exclaimed.

"Now that you mention it, so do I!" Jin and Keioushi both said at the exact same time.

"Someone just tell us already!" Toph said, somewhat harshly. Suki cleared her throat.

"Well, according to history, like Nodoka said, there were two warring cities several hundred years ago."

"Yeah, it was one of the most famous civil wars in Earth Kingdom history," Jin added.

"There was a great battle right on these fields," Haru said.

"It was said to be the bloodiest battle the Earth Kingdom has ever experienced," Nodoka supplied, arms crossed. He stared at the ground. Everyone else listened with rapt attention.

"Supposedly," Jet said, "since there were so many deaths, thousands of souls tried to make their way to the Spirit World all at once..."

"And with the sudden influx of souls, a rift was opened, creating the first portal to the Phantom World," Smellerbee finished. "The spirits planned to punish those for the unneeded war, bringing eternal torment on their souls."

"That war... it matches the time for the creation of Omashu! That was the war that Oma and Shu lived in!" Katara said excitedly.

"Oh yeah, you're right Katara!" her brother said to her, nodding.

"All right, Twinkletoes. Get this over with. End this war," Toph said, a grin on her face.

"Actually, everyone..." Aang said, speaking for the first time, "Roku said I was able to bring one friend to help me fight. Bending is allowed in the Phantom World, so... Who wants to come?" Everyone was silent.

"Nuh-uh, no way! I hate ghosts!" Ty Lee broke the silence, shaking her head furiously, her long braid whipping Keioushi in the face. Aang looked hopefully to Toph, but realized she wouldn't be able to see him.

"Toph?"

"I'm sorry, Aang," she said sadly, and because she used his name he knew how serious she was. "Who knows what's down there? I don't know if I'll be able to bend or even feel vibrations... Nobody knows if there's earth in the Phantom World..."

Aang nodded. "I understand," he said with a smile. Then he looked to Katara.

"I hate to say this Aang... but I can't go for the same reason as Toph. Yes, I have my water pouch, but is that enough?" He looked to Zuko, who held onto Katara, and Sokka, who looked totally surprised but didn't say anything, but then the person he least expected stepped up, pushing passed Jet and Song.

"I'll go," Azula said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Aang stared her in the eye, and a moment of grim understanding passed between them, and Aang knew she was wholeheartedly agreeing to traverse with him through the Phantom World. This would be her redemption. After this, Aang would know if she was really on their side. That was what she wanted.

"Now that that's over with, how will you get in?" Song asked, her chocolate eyes looking curious.

"The Avatar State, I guess," Aang said, and he sat down in a meditative position in front of the demonic altar, staring up at the creature's snout, its cold, hard eyes, its dark, sharp fangs... Azula quickly grabbed onto his shoulder, thinking of no other way to go to the land of spirits and back. And at that moment, Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed. Absolutely nothing happened to Azula.

"Now what?" she asked, because it seemed Aang was there and she wasn't. The others behind her shrugged.

"Nothing happened," Aang said, making them all jump. His voice was once again laced with power, but he stood up and faced them again, just as the glowing wore off. "I don't know how to get in."

"We should try reading the writing on the arch," Kei pointed out. Mai was the first to look up and read it.

"'_The death of a loved one is the key_'," she said cryptically. "I wonder what that means?"

"A sacrifice," Longshot said, his voice level and calm. Anger and confused mutterings permeated through them all, but it was broken by Aang's voice.

"No, I am not losing another one of my friends," he said, and strangely, his voice was stronger than it was in the Avatar State. "Not after Bumi! Not after Jeong Jeong! Not after Gyatso!"

Malu suddenly heard a loud ringing noise, and for a moment she thought that Aang was doing it. "Wait, that sound is coming from... Appa?" she said, bewildered.

Sokka ran up the bison's tail, jumping into the saddle and looking around, his ears straining.

"It's coming from the luggage," Toph said, pointing at the pile of sleeping bags on Appa's back. Sokka immediately rummaged through it, throwing out miscellaneous items and satchels of food, until he finally found what he was looking for. He pulled out and held up a bright, glowing green crystal shard, which also emitted the ringing noise. Malu had no idea what that was.

"That's the piece we got from the Crystal Village!" Katara exclaimed. "What's it doing?" The crystal suddenly zoomed from Sokka's hands, to everyone's shocked shouts, and stopped right above the black altar, landing right in the middle of the stone table. The demon's wings circled around it as if protectively, but the glowing and ringing only intensified, and the light projected out before them. But it was as if the demon's wings tainted it, and the light it projected was soon black, and a swirling vortex of energy appeared in front of them, and it seemed to suck in all air, because an intense wind rushed towards it.

"Aang, we have to go in!" Azula shouted over the roaring winds, and beside her, the Avatar nodded. Together, with one last look to their friends, they stepped into it, and disappeared.

Immediately, the winds died down and the swirling vortex disappeared. Malu now realized it was the opened portal to the Phantom World. Katara walked to the altar and picked up the green crystal, but now the glowing and ringing stopped and it was the same as before.

"The Gift of the Gods..." she whispered.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Ooh, another cliffie, I had to do it. It seemed like the perfect place to end :D I bet you weren't expecting the crystal to make a reappearance, way back from Chapter 6! Well, I'm almost scared of your reactions to next chapter. My 'insane twist' is coming up, and it might seem a little far-fetched and unlikely, but it is different. And I have explained it... sort of. You'll see. All will be revealed next chapter.**

**Please review:)**


	33. The Phantom World

**Author's Notes: Erm... well, see the author's note at the end, after you read the chapter... Oh, and some Greek/Roman mythology allusions in this chapter. Haha, Dock, from "The Painted Lady" episode, appears in this chapter. Sorry, I just had to.**

**Anonymous Review Responses:**

**nikki: Lol... there will be more... that's all I'm saying. About other characters, I'll go much more into the other pairings in the sequel, as well as extra character development and interactions (We'll see more of Nodoka! Find out more about Keioushi! Everyone will be more characterized!) Thanks for the reviews!**

**Story Critic: Glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!**

**lw: Yes, things will get much more interesting. I'm glad you like it. Yeah, I hate clichés sometimes too.**

**Anonymous Man: Lol, whatever you say, 'cause "Story Critic" confirmed my suspicions. Thanks for the review!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 4: Air**

_Chapter 3: The Phantom World_

They fell to the ground, landing on a hard surface. Aang stood up slowly, rubbing his head and having a feeling of lightheadedness. He cracked open his eyes, feeling as if he was using them for the first time. He panicked upon opening them. He couldn't see anything! He was blind!

Remembering he had a companion this time, he shouted her name. "Azula!"

"What?" her voice asked sharply, as a blue flame appeared in her hand, illuminating her face and everything behind her. Aang smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Nothing, just seeing if you were with me." Red fire came to life in Aang's own palm.

Ignoring him, she looked around. "So this is the Phantom World..." Aang followed her gaze, and it turned out the Phantom World was like a series of underground caves. Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere, a dull grey color, emitting a depressing mood throughout the area. Light vapor rose all around them.

"It's kind of creepy," the Avatar said, throwing his flame to the tip of his staff, freeing one of his hands. It now looked like he held a large torch. He kicked at a rock on the ground. Toph would have been able to come, so now he was slightly disappointed. "So where would the Huan Ying be?"

"How should I know?" she asked, walking ahead. Aang glanced behind him, which was a dead-end. The only thing there was the disturbing demon statue from the natural world, except without the altar and the arch. Aang followed after the Princess. After about a minute where neither of them talked, they came to a part of the tunnel where the cavern widened and split into several directions.

"Hmm..." Aang pondered, not expecting to encounter something like this.

"Now what?" Azula asked, annoyed.

"Splitting up is out of the question, so... let's go left!" Aang said, pointing dramatically to the left-most tunnel. Azula snorted, but as soon as they stepped to go in that direction, the amount of vapor increased, and coalesced into some kind of figure.

"Who are you?" the voice whispered, and hundreds more materialized behind it.

"I am the Avatar!" Aang said, his voice breaking only slightly. "And she is Princess Azula of the Fire Nation."

"It has been a long time since mortals set foot here..." another figure said, this voice significantly deeper.

"Princess Azula?" another, surprisingly familiar, voice asked, floating eerily up to them. The vapor sharpened, and Aang immediately recognized the man.

"Zhao!" he yelped, jumping backwards.

"Admiral Zhao," Azula said, a knowing smirk on her face. "Fitting that your soul be tortured endlessly in this place."

"It is not pleasant," he replied, and Aang noticed that the Admiral lost much of the fire behind his eyes. He was drooping, his eyes half-open, and his moves sluggish. Aang thought he looked very pathetic and depressing. "Avatar, what are you doing here? I am surprised you have been able to survive for so long, but surely you seek death here..."

"What do you mean?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"No mortal has ever been able to leave the Phantom World alive," the spirits behind him chanted. The walls suddenly shook, as rocks from the ceiling fell. Aang was able to earthbend them out of the way before they hit him and Azula. Most of the stone walls chipped away in the quakes, revealing walls covered in bone and metal. The bones began pulling themselves from the wall, and Aang yelled in fright. Even Azula's eyes widened, betraying a hint of fear.

In just a minute, a whole army of skeletons stood in their path, some wearing what seemed to be Fire Nation armor. Aang chillingly noticed that where the faceplates should have been were openly displaying the empty eye sockets of which they imitated.

"No matter, we'll kill them all!" Azula yelled confidently, shooting blasts of flame at the dead, all armed with weapons.

"Not even the Avatar can kill something that is already dead..." Zhao said quietly, and all of the spirits faded away. Zhao's voice echoed all around them, saying something else: "Our Lord will never be stopped." The skeletons immediately converged on the two, and Aang repelled some with arcs of fire. The ones that were hit crumbled to the ground. Blasts of air threw more into the cavern walls, while air barriers or slabs of stone blocked enemy attacks. Aang jumped high into the air, doing a sort of quick front flip, lightning trailing from his feet. A moment later, surges of lightning blasted to the ground, utterly destroying the skeletons all around the spot he was just standing in. He landed lightly, checking Azula's progress as she turned them to dust with jets of blue fire, some distance away from him.

Luckily, the dead were very slow, so neither of them suffered many injuries, but there were still many of them. Aang preferred to attack them from the air, constantly jumping up and unloading powerful attacks on them. He sprung into the air, twisting around towards them and throwing out his staff, as the strongest winds he had ever produced devastated them. Another time, he latched himself to the ceiling and let heavy boulders fall. Azula's lightning forked over them in waves, and soon, all of the bones were dust.

Completely winded, the two were barely able to hold themselves up. They both smirked at each other, and then burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

"You've done well, Avatar," Azula said, once it subsided. She straightened, and seemed all business again. "Let's go."

"Which way?"

"Feel around for the biggest cavern you can find. I've seen what that blind earthbender can do, and I _know _she taught it to you."

"That 'blind earthbender' has a name, you know," Aang replied, somewhat angrily.

"Whatever," she said, waving her hand as if batting away a fly. "Just do it."

Wanting to avoid confrontation, Aang did what he was told. He closed his eyes, lowering his fingers to the floor. He was able to locate it within a minute.

"It's down the center path," he said. Immediately, Azula strode purposefully in that direction, and Aang took a deep, calming breath. They walked through the dark tunnel, eerily illuminated by their flames, and Aang felt the tunnel opening up into another wide cavern. As soon as it did, he was surprised.

There was... a river, running right through the Phantom World. It did not look like a normal one, however. It had some otherworldly glow to it, and it definitely wasn't normal water. Off to their right was a small boat, with a very old, very odd-looking man sitting on the edge of it, holding a long wooden stick used for rowing.

"Hello mortals!" the old man greeted them with a toothy smile. "My name is Dock! And you are...?"

"Aang and Azula," the boy answered, totally unprepared for meeting a human that didn't want to kill them. "What is this?" he asked, gesturing to the river.

"Oh, just a river. Need a ride across?" he asked enthusiastically.

"No thanks," Azula answered, before Aang could.

"Hmm, you seem like warriors. Are you gonna fight someone?" Dock asked them, now peering at them inquisitively.

"Yeah," Aang said, nodding.

"I can't help ya there, I'm not the fighting type, _but _my brother is! Let me go find him..."

"No, that won't be necessary," the Avatar interrupted him, waving his arms. "We'll be going now. Nice to meet you."

"Same here!" the eccentric boatman yelled to them, as Aang started to move across the river. He was relieved that it could be waterbended. He forged an ice bridge for the two of them, and they carefully walked across. Suddenly, a wispy arm reached out at them, followed by a gnarled body. Aang jumped up in fright, and Azula tried blasting the thing with fire.

"What was that?" Azula asked, breathing a little heavier than normal.

"It seemed like... a soul..." the boy answered, and he looked out at the rest of the river. 'This is a whole _river _of souls..." With newfound urgency, the two hurried across the river. It seemed to take forever to cross, as Azula continually blasted any soul that tried reaching for them. After what felt like an eternity (who knew how much time passed here?) the two reached the other side of the soul-river.

They were immediately greeted by a very imposing and huge flight of stone stairs. Aang began the climb first, and as they walked Aang decided to speak to the girl accompanying him.

"Thanks for coming," he said to her. "I really appreciate it."

"I'm not doing this for you," she snapped.

"Then who's it for?"

"Myself. It is a test of my strength," she replied curtly.

"I dunno, I think you're already a really strong firebender," he pointed out, grinning. It quickly faltered when she didn't grin back.

"Then for... someone else," she said quietly.

"Jet?" he tried. She didn't answer, because the staircase ended right above them. Aang peeked over the side first, but he almost fell back in absolute shock. He didn't register when Azula grabbed him by the back of the shirt to keep him from falling. He didn't notice when she came up next to him. He didn't understand or even hear her as she asked why he didn't move. All of his being was focused on what he saw. His mouth hung open, speechless. Terror gripped him, replaced by anger and more shock and sadness and a whole myriad of feelings that he couldn't understand even if he wanted to.

In the chamber was a grand hall, held up by stone pillars. And by the far wall was a stone throne, inlaid with bones.

And on the throne was someone garbed in firebender robes.

"Avatar Roku!?"

* * *

"How do you think things are going down there for them?" Katara asked Zuko a little worriedly. 

"I don't care for Azula," he replied coldly, "but Aang, once again, is strong. He can make it."

"I hope you're right," she replied, staring at the horrible demon statue. They had since moved a short distance away from it and made camp, but Toph and Jet continually paced in front of the Phantom World portal, both with unreadable expressions. Sokka and Suki sat together in front of the statue, keeping up a silent vigil through the night.

Toph suddenly stamped her feet, betraying her anger. "I can't stand this anymore! I should have gone with him! Who cares if there wasn't earth to bend? There had to have been!" she yelled, her voice trembling. She fell to the ground in anger, pounding her fists into the earth. Katara rushed over to her at once, not at all surprised to see that she was crying. At the same time, Smellerbee also came over.

Katara put a comforting hand on her back. "It's okay, Toph. You have every right to be worried. But they'll make it, I know it," she said, proud of herself for not trembling with her words.

Toph knew Katara wasn't entirely confident, but she said nothing. "You better come back, Twinkletoes..."

* * *

"So you've made it, Aang," Roku said, standing up to walk over to the two of them. Azula took a step back. 

"How can this be?!" Aang screamed to him, grasping his head with both hands. "This is impossible!"

"No, it is entirely possible," the old Avatar said, his lips curled into a fraction of a smirk. "You are an easily trusting fool."

"_You're _behind all of this? You created the Comet?" Azula asked him, bewildered. Only half of the conversation was registering in Aang's head.

"I have been, from the beginning," Roku answered, with barely a glance at her. "Before my death, I had Sozin start the war. The Fire Nation needed land and gold, but we desired power. The Avatar is the one destined to rule over the entire planet, the only one _capabl_e enough."

"So you've been... training me... to rule the world?" Aang managed to choke out, his eyes blurring over with tears. They were focused on the ground, refusing to look at his mentor, his guide, his _past life_.

"Of course not," the older Avatar answered. "Only I could help my Nation achieve this goal. The firebenders are the elites, the most unstoppable... I planned to create a Comet that would enhance the powers of them. Only I had the strength to do this. Only a fully-realized Avatar could. We were ready to invade the Earth Kingdom..."

"When you were murdered," Azula finished for him, folding her arms. "From what I've heard, Sozin's traitor wife did it. Now I know the real reason why." The Princess seemed calm on the outside, but on the inside her brain was reeling with shock. She needed a plan in order to get the two of them out of this alive. For now, she would just keep him talking.

"Yes, it was that peace-loving _bitch_. She assassinated me in my sleep, destroying all of my plans to create the Comet..."

"You're a monster!" Aang yelled, the earth flaring up around him. Roku took no notice.

"As a spirit, I realized I was still able to help Sozin. There was still hope. I ordered him to capture you, Aang. He had to invade the Air Nomads in several years' time, once we knew the identity of the Avatar. They would be the first deaths, the first casualties of the war. By capturing you, his path to victory would be clear. Actually, it was one of your kind, a man by the name of Afiko, who betrayed you to the Fire Lord." Aang's face was unreadable, but his grey eyes were a storm of inner conflict.

"I was unable to create the Comet as effectively, but in death I still had power. I knew it would take a while, but I would do it. I forced myself to. Imagine my luck when you fled your duties, like an airbender _coward_," he spat the word, "and it was then that my power was ready. As a spirit, I created the Comet. It worked as I had planned it to. It gave the firebenders unstoppable power."

Aang's tears were rushing down his face full force now, he was trembling with anger and intense sadness and betrayal, but he suddenly looked up at Roku, straight in the face. He gathered up all of the hatred he could muster, unleashing it in the blink of an eye. A column of fire rushed out at Roku, who jumped up high with airbending. Aang punched furiously, his tears flying behind him as he moved. Fireballs flew from his fists, deflected by Roku's palm. Azula sent a fork of lightning at him, which was dodged with overwhelming speed.

"I was ready to create the Comet again!" Roku shouted over their attacks. "But you miraculously survived, and I knew you would be the only thing in my way! I sent Fang, my loyal pet, after you, and he accomplished his goal. You went straight to me willingly!"

A massive rock went soaring towards Roku, which was punched clean through. "I gave you a deadline, Aang! I wanted to show you that your failure was inevitable!" Aang never heard Roku with his voice raised, and he sounded utterly mad. His white hair and beard were whipping up around him as the old Avatar manipulated the wind, which coalesced into blades and sliced towards Aang. The younger Avatar was just able to block it with a wall of rock, which completely shattered.

"On some other occasions when we met, I gave you a false sense of hope. When I realized you could not be stopped easily, I sent you after Koh the Face-Stealer. It was here that you showed your intense, unshakable trust in me," Roku said, as if finding the whole thing humorous. "Of course there were spirits older than the Face-Stealer! I did not think you would win against a malevolent spirit. It proved that I was, once again, wrong!"

Roku broke off the whole pillar from the ground, hurling it at Aang. Azula sent another fork of lightning out, which destroyed the projectile. Aang copied one of Zuko's attacks, shooting an intense cannon of fire out at Roku. Roku jumped back down to them to avoid the attack, just as Azula jumped up and kicked an arc of blue fire at him. The ground beneath Roku suddenly cracked, opening up a great chasm with a flow of magma that shot up and blocked her attacks, then went at her like water. She spread her arms wide, a whole wall of blue fire forming to protect her from the attacks. Aang jumped in an arc over Roku, unleashing a sheet of fire that completely covered the Huan Ying, but Roku effortlessly broke through it. Avatar Roku pushed them both away with a circle of golden fire, and suddenly pushed up his arms in a move that Aang recognized. Aang and Azula suddenly heard a loud roaring coming from down the stairs, just as a gigantic wave of water from the river, which was now blue, loomed over them. Aang tried taking hold of the water, pulling it from Roku, but he was only getting slight control over it...

Aang was able to freeze it long enough to erect an earthen shield to protect him and Azula, just as Roku melted it and allowed it to continue its course. The waves crashed against his earth wall, but it persisted. Aang grasped the flow of water, now on the ground, and lashed out at Roku with tendrils of water, just as Azula sent another fork of lightning at him. Their two attacks clashed together, forming an electric ball of energy that completely covered Roku, but when it dissipated, he was gone. Aang already knew where he was.

"I summoned you here to finally finish you myself, when all of my other plans failed. I am older, more experienced, a true master of the elements! You cannot win!"

He felt the Avatar moving through the earth under them, emerging somewhere behind the two as he clutched the ground with his fingers, pulling it up as if like a blanket. The ground rolled and shook, completely destroying everything around them, including the throne of bones. Aang tried settling the ground so he and Azula could move.

"I will once again unleash the power of the Comet! When that happens, you will never be able to stop me!"

* * *

Azula felt as if she was in the middle of a titanic struggle. The two Avatars were Gods, fighting in a way she had never seen. It was amazing, yet terrifying at the same time. She felt tiny, insignificant, and just a minor annoyance to the past Avatar. The two created storms, hurled lightning, lashed out with rain and blizzards, unleashed roaring fires, produced ground-ripping tornados, sent tremors through the ground... 

Avatar Roku suddenly spun on the spot, and jumped high into the air, bringing his hands to his mouth as if to holler something. Then, torrents of wind were brought onto them, right from his mouth, and Aang could do little to stop them. It did not stop until Roku landed on the ground again, by which time Azula nearly fell down the stairs. Aang retaliated with an arc of air, which Roku quickly dissipated with a vertical arc of fire. Just as it was about to hit the current Avatar, Aang disappeared, reforming behind Roku and hitting him with a blast of wind from his palms.

The older Avatar was sent to the ground, just as Azula sent her own weak fireballs at him. Roku blocked it with a small wall of water, still on the ground, but he hastily got back up, just as Aang hit him dead-on with a block of stone. With the speed of an airbender, Aang ran straight at him, and then suddenly jumped to the side as Roku tried blasting him with fire, and Aang circled around him, blowing Roku every which way. Aang added fire to the mix, and trapped Roku in a literal vortex of fire and wind. With a sudden roar and a tremendous sound, Roku stopped the tornado with an unseen powerful attack that sent Aang hurling into the stone wall on the opposite side of the chamber.

Azula took her stance again, facing Roku resolutely. Lightning shot from her fingers, but Roku jumped above it and threw a fistful of wind at Azula, who blocked with a wall of blue fire. At that moment, both were distracted by an intense glow of white light from behind them, as Aang rose on the light pillar, manifesting the Avatar spirit. Hope surged through Azula, and she felt glad to have that kind of power on her side.

With simple motions of his arms, Aang created devastating attacks, unleashing his angelic fury. Torrents of water converged on Roku with a wave of his arm, and with his other a column of fire, burning with white, and Aang bobbed his head as a pillar of earth came at Roku from the front. Roku was able to erect a wall of rock to protect him from the fiercest of the attacks, but it was a powerful blow. Roku was blasted into the walls behind him, and he fell to the ground, his robes tattered and covered in blood and burns. Both Azula and Aang came at him at once, and now Roku looked weak and defeated.

He decided to play his trump card, out of desperation. "If I am killed, all of the spirits of the Avatars before me would vanish!" he yelled, causing Aang to halt in his next attack. "You kill me, and you will never be able to harness the powers of the Avatar again! You will be alone, your best weapon lost! You will never defeat Ozai!"

The holy light faded, and Aang floated gently to the ground, eyes closed. With a flash of fury, they opened again. It subsided quickly, and Aang braced himself as if for a speech. He shook his head. "You're wrong," he said quietly. "If there was anything I've learned on this adventure, it is perseverance. It's never giving up, never faltering, but instead, banding together and conquering evil as one. With all of my friends, we can conquer anything that stands in our way! I've always wanted peace in our world, and to know that you—_a past life_—started this war, I'm willing to stop you and _end it. _And if that means losing my strongest weapon in the process, _so be it_," he said maliciously, sounding nothing like the twelve year-old boy he really was. "Some way, some how, I will conquer that, too, and defeat the Fire Lord!"

And with an air of finality, Aang held up his right hand bringing to life the lightning in his fingers, and unleashed it on Roku. The old Avatar's eyes were wide with fear, and the lightning hit him right in the chest. He made no sound, but as he was killed, he was enveloped in a white light, dissolving the last remnants of his body, and Avatar Roku disappeared forever.

* * *

All heads turned when the winds picked up again, locating the demon statue more than anything else. There was a certain energy in the air that they could all feel, rippling and contorting the air. And suddenly, from the clear night skies came several white-hot lightning bolts, all striking the demonic altar. Everyone stood up and backed away in shock, and as soon as the lightning stopped a ball of black energy formed, floating above the altar and it expanded and grew at an alarming speed, and once it covered the entire portal it exploded. Katara and all of the others were thrown off their feet at the sudden pulse of wind, and when they looked back to see what happened, Aang and Azula were there. 

The Princess was supporting Aang, but they both looked terrible. They looked burned, cut, and battered. There was a general air that they had lost. The two of them were barely standing on the sacrificial table, Azula looking at them murderously as they crowded around her and Aang staring at the ground, barely helping Azula.

"What happened?" Katara asked worriedly, reaching for Aang as if he was a little boy. He and Azula stepped down, and now it seemed as if Aang could stand himself. The Avatar looked sick. Before anyone could do anything else Toph appeared next to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry Twinkletoes," she whispered, a single tear sliding down her face. "You needed me and I wasn't there."

"It's fine," Azula said loudly, pulling away from Jet after they had their own reunion. "We won." Everyone stopped talking, with the exception of Sokka.

"You did?" Sokka asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "Tell us what happened!"

"It was Avatar Roku," Aang said hoarsely, as Toph let go of him. "He... it was him... he was the Huan Ying."

"So there will be no Comet?" Zuko asked, looking to Azula for confirmation. She looked back at him, as if just noticing him for the first time. She nodded.

"Thanks, Azula... you were more of a help than you could imagine," Aang said to her quietly. Katara and Sokka stood in shock, being the only ones that knew how close Aang was to his former mentor.

"Well, come on, everyone! Let's look on the bright side! We can win the war now!" Ty Lee said happily, punching a fist up into the air victoriously. "We have all the time in the world to mount an invasion!"

Katara looked to the horizon, where the sun was just rising. She decided to leave the conversation at that; Aang clearly did not want to recount it any further. They all needed some rest. There was still hope for them. They would keep on fighting. They had endured enough hardships to stop now.

* * *

**Author's Notes: -waits for yelling- Yeah, I highly doubt that this will happen in the show, because it is just so unlikely. I tried explaining as much as I could. At the very least, it makes for a good, original twist, right:D**

**I cannot wait for next chapter, myself. It will be incredibly action-packed. Just three chapters left (four, including the epilogue, but that's already typed)! So enjoy "Sokka's Master," and please review! There was something else I wanted to say, but I can't remember for the life of me -.-**


	34. The Great Battle of Sozin Bay

**Author's Notes: Heh... Sorry to those of you that didn't like evil Roku. I thought it would be an interesting, insane twist. I also like Aang angst :) Oh, I should warn you guys, there is one disturbing image in this chapter. My story **_**is **_**rated T. **

**Anonymous Review Responses: **

**Story Critic/Anonymous Man/ Ace Detective: To tell the truth, I don't care anymore. Please stop with whatever you guy(s) are doing. Thanks for the reviews, though.**

**Me: Lol, glad you liked evil Roku. Thanks for the review!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**Book 4: Air**

_Chapter 4: The Great Battle of Sozin Bay_

It took the Jihen rebel and Earth Kingdom armies a few days to get ready for battle. Their aim was to invade the Fire Nation on the supposed day of Sozin's Comet, the same time that the Fire Nation was mounting an invasion. It was strategically an unwise move, but it was better than knowing the Fire Nation would invade and doing nothing about it. They would invade each other at the same time, but hopefully the Earth Kingdom would be able to drive them back to their own Nation.

This time, they had the help of the Water Tribes. Pakku apparently returned to the Northern Water Tribe at some point, and a few days after the Avatar Gang's journey to the Phantom World Pakku arrived with a whole fleet of Northern Water Tribe ships. The Generals of the Earth Kingdom thought that this was a big enough Water Navy to match the Fire Navy. A whole fleet of waterbenders would also be a huge help.

Other groups of rebels traveled all around the Earth Kingdom, recruiting experienced fighters for one final attack against the Fire Nation. The amount of support was overwhelming; the Earth Kingdom cities were all rallying together for the end of the war. They met at such places as Jihen and Omashu, and all of the Water Navy and Earth Army and Navy left on the day before the Fire Nation's invasion day. They were planning to attack just as the Fire Navy was leaving port, so the Avatar and friends would be able to get into the city and confront the Fire Lord and his Generals again.

At the moment, they were nearing the Fire Nation. Crescent Island was on the horizon. The Avatar Gang was all alone, on the deck of Hakoda's ship. It was just them; no soldiers, and no older people.

"Tell me, guys," Aang said quietly, staring out towards the direction of the Fire Nation. "We're all in this for something. I want to know why you've stuck with me for this long."

"Why? Isn't it obvious?" Katara asked.

"I just want to know... your personal reasons," he replied. "You will fight better if you know what you're fighting for."

"Hm... I've never thought of it that way," Suki said, leaning against the balustrade.

"I'll go first," Katara said. "I'm fighting for my Water Tribe. I've always wanted to rebuild, to live in peace. I want to see travelers traveling to our city. I want to see waterbenders walking in the streets. My Gran Gran has told me of those old days... I'd like to see it all for myself. Hm... Sokka, you go next."

The warrior looked a little surprised to be put on the spot like that, but after a moment, he spoke. "It's kind of the same reason as Katara. I've always wanted someone my own age to play with when I was younger, but there was nobody. It was all the Fire Nation's fault."

"Revenge, then?" Aang guessed.

"Yeah, I think so..."

"Alright, Jet, it's your turn," the Avatar said.

He raised his eyebrows. "I would've thought you've known, Aang. They took my family, and I'll never forget that, but... It's not hatred against the Fire Nation as a whole, now. After meeting some truly good firebenders... Everything changed for me. I'm in it now because... I'm angry at Ozai for treating Azula like shit!"

"Well said," Aang commented with a smile. A few of them cheered. "Nodoka, you're up."

He stood, motionless as always. But his words were so simple, so unexpected. "It's fun."

"Strange, but I like it!" Katara said. "Keioushi?"

"Hm... I've always wanted to do something great, y'know? Helping to save the world fits right under that category. Your turn, Suki."

"Ha-ha... Mostly because of Sokka. He needs someone to look after him," she said, grinning. "I know Katara usually fills that role, but she seems a little busy with Zuko." At her words, Katara and Zuko glanced at each other, both blushing profusely. "Ty Lee!"

"What? Oh!" She was caught off guard, but quickly regained her composure. "Ahem. Well, at first I was kinda forced into this, and I never really thought about it now. I guess I'm like the comic relief for you guys, since it's always so serious. Kind of scary, you know? Maybe... I stayed because I wanted to see how everything turned out. Like a story! Hm... Who to pick? Azula?"

"Alright, fine. I want to show _father _that I'm not worthless, and he should have treated me like a better daughter. I can do that by beating his face in," she said angrily, but sounding slightly satisfied with herself at the end. "Zuzu, it's your turn!"

"Hmph. I'm in it for revenge against my own Nation, my own father. He banished me, also thinking I was worthless and a failure at life. He said I was lucky to be born. He gave me this scar, forever marking me and my banishment. Jin."

"I'm trying to prove something to myself," she said quietly, holding a hand over her heart, the other was in Shuang's hand. "I want to prove that I'm strong, strong enough to keep on fighting, never giving up and proving that I'm no damsel in distress." They stared at her, waiting for her to finish. "Oh... Shuang."

"Hm," he said, becoming suddenly interested in his feet. "I've done it for you, Jin. I always have been, ever since the day I met you. You're beautiful, and a girl like you doesn't deserve to be hurt by the Fire Nation. Haru?"

"Ever since the Avatar and his friends came to my village... they've given me sense of hope, showing me that we can still win this war. They gave us strength to drive away the Fire Nation from our village. And they continue to do that today. I've learned that I have the strength and the responsibility to do something from that, and I'm not backing down. I'm brave, like all earthbenders. Like my father. Malu."

"This one is kind of obvious," she said quietly. "I'm doing it for my people, and like Katara and Sokka, I want to free my people. I want to expand them, becoming a great Nation just like all the others. I'm not doing it for revenge, or because I feel I need to. I'm acting on a dream since childhood."

"I'm next," Smellerbee said. "I'm doing this for all of the Freedom Fighters who couldn't be here to actually help in the end. I'm acting on their revenge, their sorrow, and their wills to fight. I feel as if they all live on inside of me. Okay, I'm done. Longshot, it's your turn."

He smirked to himself. "The sake of fighting."

Kei spoke next. "I'm fighting for my people... Well, the ones like me. There are some good people in the Fire Nation, and I'm fighting to represent all of them. Yes, I am shameful of my people. But at the same time, I still believe in them. We can rebuild once Ozai is gone. We will be a great and respected Nation once again. Song?"

"Oh, um... Well, I guess I'm fighting for those who have given their lives to fight in the war. They gave their lives to see a free world, not caring if they didn't live to see it. They gave that great gift to the future generations... and I respect that. I guess I'm also fighting for the wounded, the ones I've healed."

"Mai, you never went yet," Katara pointed out.

"Fine," she said, sounding bored. "Mostly because it's something to do." They all stared at her, with blank looks on their faces. "Oh, calm down. I'm just kidding."

"Oh my Agni! Mai just made a joke!" Ty Lee exclaimed, gasping. They all laughed.

"The real reason is you've all changed me. It is nice to be fighting for something, believing in it... enough to fight for it, even if you die. It's a nice feeling," she said, speaking the most anyone has ever heard her say. She didn't sound bored, or tired, or like she wanted to be anywhere else but there. She was truly pouring out her feelings.

"I'm up next," Toph said impatiently. "At first it was because of my parents... But now, things have changed. We all had to grow up so fast. I dunno... I guess I'm fighting to prove that I'm the best earthbender in history... after King Bumi, I guess." Everyone grew solemn at the mention of Bumi, but after a moment, Toph spoke again. "Someone didn't go yet."

"Aang?" Katara asked.

He closed his eyes. "You must all think I'm going to go for the obvious reason." His eyes opened. "To save the world. But... it's more than that. In all our travels, ever since I met Sokka and Katara months ago, I've made promises to people, telling them the war would come to a close soon. They all believed in me. I was their last hope in their time of despair. I'm fighting for the Southern Water Tribe, a village that wants to repair their hearts and their homes. I'm fighting for Haru's village, people who were hurt by the Fire Nation, forbidden to bend. I'm fighting for the refugees in the Northern Air Temple, who have made a once-great place their new home. I'm fighting for Pi-Su, a village forced to live in secret. But most of all, I'm fighting in... memory...of my people. I've made a promise to the world. It will be free!" He paused. "Gyatso, Bumi, Kuzon... I'm fighting for you," he whispered.

This was it. They were children, too young to be in war. They were powerful fighters, brought together by destiny. This was their adventure. They were the Avatar Gang.

* * *

When dawn came, people were bustling around the decks of the ships, getting ready for battle. Aang and his friends felt like they were just in the way, because they had no military knowledge or expertise. Nodoka, Kei, and Keioushi were the sole exception to this, and they were helping just as much. Katara was bending the water around Hakoda's ship, getting some practice in before the battle. Aang was doing it with her, and she suspected he was using it to bring calmness over himself. The poor boy lost two important people in his life in such a short time. One of them he had to kill.

As a result, the two of them were very surprised when Master Pakku walked up to them. At first, neither of them noticed until he spoke.

"Hello Aang, Katara," he said, clearing his throat. Aang released his hold on the water gently but Katara dropped it abruptly, turning to Pakku in anger.

"You know, I was concentrating!" she said furiously, but it quickly broke into a grin and she started laughing. Pakku allowed a small smile, but Aang did nothing. "Hello, Master Pakku."

"We haven't had a chance to catch up with all of these things going on," the old man said, gesturing to the bustling soldiers around them.

Katara nodded. "So how's Gran Gran?" she asked.

"She is well, and she sends her greetings and congratulations. She is very proud of you," the waterbending master answered. "By the way, your Southern Tribe is a city again, though it is not yet as big as the Northern Tribe."

"I can't wait to see it!" she said happily. By this time, Sokka joined in on the conversation.

"Did you hear that, Dad?" he asked Hakoda.

"I haven't been home in years," his father said, scratching his chin. "It would be nice to see it again."

"I would like to see my wife again," Bato added. "And my young son. I miss them so much."

"The Fire Navy fleet!" a girl suddenly shouted, interrupting their conversation. She was dressed in her warrior's clothes—Suki's Kyoshi Warriors also decided to join in the battle. The soldiers all got in order, waiting for their commands.

"Waterbenders, prepare for battle!" Pakku yelled.

"Get the catapults ready!"

"Someone get the stink bombs!" Hakoda shouted.

"Get into formation!"

"Fire on my command..."

"Let's get them while their catapults aren't in place!" Sokka shouted, donned fully in his sea dragon armor. Zuko and Azula jumped onto Bahamut, who was slithering through the water. The great black dragon immediately took to the air, Aang and Malu beside him. Longshot and Mai jumped on Appa, while Katara and Shuang, with all of the other waterbenders, jumped into the ocean.

Katara, light as a feather, ran across to the Fire Navy fleet, gently touching the water and causing only light ripples to spread. Shuang, next to her, surfed on a block of ice. Bahamut flew over them fastest, getting to the enemy ships first and bellowing flames onto them, utterly destroying ships in seconds. This fleet was about the size of the one that attacked the Northern Water Tribe... much bigger than they had estimated... But still, they had an advantage: the waterbenders.

Hundreds of them swarmed to the ships, breaking through hulls with deadly ice attacks. Katara, Shuang, and Pakku were able to take down several of them alone. The firebenders tried shooting them with jets of fire, but most were easily blocked by walls of water. Aang and Malu were striking from the sky, Aang unleashing all of his elements while Malu rendered enemy ships useless by destroying their catapults or the crew members on board. Zuko and Azula, on Bahamut's back, were striking down anyone that Bahamut couldn't reach—or those that attempted to attack him. Longshot and Mai, on Appa's back, were shooting down single enemies with knives, darts, and arrows.

By this time, enemy catapults were positioned to attack the enemy fleet. Flaming projectiles sailed through the air, some aiming true but others being stopped by gigantic walls of water. Several Water and Earth Navy ships were destroyed already, but Fire Nation casualties were higher. Katara was shocked to see tiny wooden boats sail towards the enemy ships with amazing speed, and she was only able to tell who they were from their shouts of enjoyment and waterbending. They were various members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe, taking down enemy ships with tremendous waves. She could see Tho and Due thoroughly enjoying themselves, thinking it was some kind of game. Now that she thought about it, it made sense that they were there. Jihen was right next to their swamp. The kappas were also aiding in the fight, killing enemy firebenders with a kind of sadistic pleasure.

With a trill of fear, Katara saw one of Ozai's Generals on the decks of one of the ships, arms clasped behind his back as he watched his forces being decimated with a small smile. With long, black hair rippling behind him and elaborate Fire Nation robes, it could only be the insane General Piza. Katara and Shuang both noticed him at the same time, and sent their attacks to his ship. A great wave was formed right next to them, and Piza turned to it emotionlessly as his men tried jumping overboard in fear. The two waterbenders knew what he was going to do just a second before he did.

The General threw up his manicured hand, lazily sending blasts of lightning into the wave, followed by huge amounts of blue fire. With very little effort, Piza was able to take down a fifty-foot wave all by himself. The shocks of lightning traveled through the water, and the sheer amount of power fried anything touching the water—this included waterbenders and Piza's own soldiers who jumped ship. Katara and Shuang were the only ones in the vicinity able to escape this fate; knowing the attack was coming, they propelled themselves up onto Piza's own ship.

"You're an insane monster! You just killed all of those people!" Katara shouted, her body trembling with rage.

"That's the price of war, little girl. That won't be the first of your people to fall! Soon, our firebenders will be blessed with unstoppable power, and we'll take over the world by killing all of you!" the General said with maniacal laughter. At this, both Katara and Shuang grinned smugly.

"You mean the arrival of Sozin's Comet?" the boy asked teasingly.

"Yeah, we stopped that from coming days ago," Katara said, a look of determination in her face. Nothing would stop her from killing Piza now.

The firebender stopped laughing, his mouth forming a small 'O.' "You lie!" his androgynous voice yelled, but they both heard a quiver of fear.

"No, Aang destroyed the Bringer himself," Shuang said. Piza lashed out in rage at him, but Shuang readily blocked his blue fire with a water shield. He pulled it to his side and unleashed it in a flurry of ice swords, but this was in turn blocked with a wall of fire. Katara pulled up torrents of water from the ocean around her, pushing it at Piza repeatedly. Shuang rained down ice shards on him from above. With one powerful blast of blue fire, Piza stopped their attacks before they could push him overboard. At this moment, Katara and Shuang chose to jump back into the water, both riding on water snakes and striking him with several attacks. Whenever he retaliated with lightning the two would cut off the water flow from themselves, staying in the air or on his ship for a few seconds before falling back in again.

Katara spun in midair for a quick moment, as several successive lashes of sharp water hacked at Piza's ship, just as Shuang produced an iceberg to pierce the hull. The General was thrown overboard, but Katara and her former student kept up with their attack. They both held the General underwater, determined to finish him by doing whatever it took. He thrashed around furiously, struggling to get back up, back to air... But then a thought occurred to Katara.

"SHUANG, GET UP ON THE SHIP, QUICKLY!" she screamed, hastily pushing herself on with a blast of water. Shuang scrambled to do it. Katara knew that Piza still had one last hope. Not all of his attacks could be useless underwater. He could still send blasts of lightning through the water—Katara knew it was something he'd do. It would surely kill Piza, but he would be able to take them down with him.

Just as her waterbending friend was in midair, just as he stopped touching the water, Piza did just that. Forks of lightning went through the water, but it did more harm to him than to anyone else. Katara unpleasantly watched as he convulsed in pain, never knowing that he just missed his two targets... She turned away as his body morbidly bobbed up to the surface, along with the dead waterbenders... The armor of the Fire Nation soldiers dragged them below, so it was just a sea of Water Tribe bodies, with one insane ex-General...

Katara and Shuang turned back to taking down Fire Navy warships.

* * *

Hours later, firebender morale was greatly lowered. Their beacon of victory was not coming, so they were falling by the hundreds. It seemed as if the Avatar really did destroy Sozin's Comet.

Sokka felt useless on the deck of the ship, watching the battle unfold with most of the other kids. Toph kicked the ground unpleasantly, everyone else was sullenly waiting for the battle on land, and others were sitting patiently and polishing their weapons. The shore of Sozin City was in sight, and the Water Navy fleet was quickly advancing on it. Fire Navy ships were thinning, and hundreds now lay at the bottom of the bay. The waterbenders worked tirelessly; their work was getting easier as the enemy amount lessened.

So it was only a matter of minutes when the last one fell.

When that happened, chaos unfolded.

All around them, from the land, came hundreds of flaming projectiles, sailing right toward them. Many of their ships fell in seconds, while others struggled to remain in order. Appa, Yanna, Aang, Malu, and Bahamut tried reflected several each, but it barely helped. As the Fire soldiers were loading up the catapults again, everyone knew they were doomed.

At that exact moment, Malu shouted out, pointing to the east. Confused, hundreds of heads turned to look, and Sokka gasped in surprise. Five Sky bison were flying towards them, heading straight for the catapults. Gusts of wind from the people on the creatures and the bison themselves threw several of the catapults into the water. Aang, Malu, Appa, Bahamut, and Yanna copied their examples, hitting several of them into the water with one powerful gust of wind or blast of fire. Though they were few, they were effective.

This later came to be known as the world's first Air Force.

The few airbenders that the village of Pi-Su had jumped down into the fray, blasting enemies away with gusts of wind. Sokka saw the distant figure of Ruo-Feng, her silky black hair flowing freely. The Chieftainess was a powerful bender, even though she wasn't a master. The other villagers that weren't benders were unleashing arrows upon them, breaking down the last of Sozin City's coastal defenders and allowing the Water and Earth Navy fleets to unload all of their soldiers off at the port.

Upon closer inspection, Sokka spotted the residents of the Northern Air Temple, including Teo, dropping bombs of all sorts on the firebenders, atop the airbenders' bison. On the beaches of the Fire Nation, the enemy soldiers clashed with them, running and brandishing weapons. Sokka, Hakoda, and Bato led the attack, all shouting out war cries. All of them swung their clubs, machetes, boomerangs, swords, spears—anything they had. Hakoda was an expert swordsman, while Bato was nasty with the spear.

Not too far away from them, Sokka spotted the knights of the Light Village, in their heavy silver armor. Katara's previous crush, Baithin, nodded to Sokka, stabbing at a firebender with his longsword. The two fought side-by-side for a minute, until the lead knight ran off to help one of his comrades. Zuko, also next to Sokka, fought eagerly, using both of his blades and his firebending to take down his foes. Bahamut was above him, flying protectively and aggressively. Next to Zuko were Lieutenant Jee and several skilled ex-Fire Nation soldiers, all of Zuko's loyal men, rallying behind their leader in their greatest moment.

Ursa, Qi Yi, Dizi, Chey, and all of Qi Yi's other Generals also fought, but Ursa and the rebel leader were bending the greatest. They all seemed unstoppable. Near them were Suki and all of her Kyoshi Warriors, leaping around the field and brandishing fans and katanas, taking down everyone like an elite fighting force.

From inside the city came several robed firebenders and Sokka vaguely recognized them as the Fire Sages from Avatar Roku's now-destroyed temple. Suprisingly, they fought against the Fire soldiers as allies of the Avatar once again. Fire Sage Shyu smiled warmly to Sokka as he let out a fireball on one of his enemies.

Sokka heard a loud and slightly familiar war cry from behind him, and turned to see one of the dirtiest groups of people he had ever seen. Leading them was a rather big and brutish woman—he immediately recognized them as the Zhang tribe, friends of the Avatar from the Earth Kingdom. Behind them were their total opposites, the perfectly clean Gan Jins.

Creating sandy whirlwinds and pillars of sand were obviously the sandbenders of the Si Wong Desert, allies of the Avatar and previous kidnappers of Appa. Sokka knew they were there and gladly accepted their help—they did say sorry for their actions, and even helped their group out of the desert, saving them from certain death. Their unique bending abilities baffled the firebenders.

Jet rushed up next to Sokka, his hook-swords swinging in all directions, expertly taking down the soldiers. Azula was right beside him, sending blasts of flame and forks of lightning at her enemies. Behind them were Longshot and Smellerbee, and behind _them _were the rest of the Freedom Fighters—any of those with any experience with a weapon, anyway. Sokka saw Pipsqueak and the Duke and all the others that he couldn't remember the names for. They all rallied behind Jet, looking to him as their leader once again.

Not far from Zuko and his men was Uncle Iroh, now healed of his sickness. The old man and skilled firebender was the same as always—completely outmaneuvering his enemies. Surprisingly (and he didn't think Iroh planned it) next to him were Huu, Guru Pathik, and the Spirit Guide, Isodira. The Spirit Protector, the Guru, the Spirit Guide, and Iroh were all fighting together, all as allies of the Avatar and the only other people in the world with closeness to the Spirit World. Huu was using waterbending, Isodira was using earthbending, Iroh was using firebending, and...

...Guru Pathik was using airbending.

The old man, his beard flying, had the skills of an airbending master. Sokka fought his way over to him, gaping.

"You're an _airbender_, and you didn't tell us?!" he shouted, shocked. The Guru smiled.

"Nobody asked!" he responded, laughing. Sokka nearly stumbled. "See? I have the clothing of the Air Nomads," he said, pointing to his ripped and tattered clothes. "And I told Aang I was a friend of Gyatso. And I got to the Eastern Air Temple!"

Sokka found it strange that he was cheerfully explaining all of this in the middle of a huge battle, but didn't comment on it. Sighing, he got back to his fighting. Just as he deflected an attack meant for his helmeted head, Sokka saw an archer in the distance, high above them, notching an arrow. He was in a well-concealed place, and it was only by luck that Sokka saw him. The warrior bashed the enemy soldier on the head, trying to make his way over to the archer, just as he took aim. Sokka followed his line of sight, his gaze landing right on Hakoda. The fierce Water Tribe warrior was swinging his sword expertly, taking down many enemies around him. Terror gripped Sokka, and he pushed through to get to the archer or his father, anyone, as long as he could stop it.

"Dad! Dad, look out!" he shouted desperately, but his father didn't hear him over the roar of battle. Everyone and everything else was blanked out to Sokka, as all weapon strikes seemed to just miss him, but his father suddenly seemed so much further away... It was just him, the archer, and Hakoda, as the archer pulled back, and fired.

Sokka yelled out in anguish as the arrow sailed through the air. It couldn't happen like this, he couldn't lose both parents, he couldn't... No... _Dad! No!_

Just as Hakoda noticed the projectile aiming at him, it was too late for him to dodge. He was barely able to even react, but in Sokka's eyes, the arrow seemed so slow... Everything was in slow motion for him...

And then, as quickly as it was fired, Bato threw himself in front of Hakoda, taking the arrow right to the chest. Both Sokka and Hakoda yelled out, and time seemed to speed up, and Sokka was able to get to them, pushing aside everyone else...

Bato fell, but Hakoda caught him, dropping his sword, and laid him gently on the sand. By this time Sokka caught up to them, tears slowly sliding down his face. As he neared, he noticed that his father was also crying for his best friend. Bato had an expression of serenity on his own face.

"Brother, keep on fighting, defend our world," Bato said to Hakoda, clasping his arm weakly. The warrior nodded, all of a sudden looking a decade older. Bato turned his head to Sokka, coughing. "You were like a second son to me, I hope you know that. I know you have a father, but..." he coughed again. "Tell my wife and son that I love them..."

"Thank you, my brother," Hakoda said, and Bato nodded, closing his eyes.

And then Bato of the Water Tribe died.

Hakoda and Sokka furiously returned to the battle, striking down all of the soldiers around them with renewed strength. Miraculously, none tried attacking them while Bato lay dying, but now everyone was turned to them, the two doing the most damage. Together, Hakoda and Sokka, father and son, decimated enemy troops, both fighting like they had never fought before...

That day, each fighter and friend of the Avatar silently vowed to end the war. And they would.

Or they would die.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I'm being extremely mean right now, and I'm sorry. Again, I've thrown a cliffhanger at you, and again, there is another character death. Originally, Bato wasn't supposed to die. But there is a tiny reason for doing it. It's not a good reason, and you'll all want to kill me if you find out :)**

**But I'll tell you anyway! For my third story I couldn't find a name for Sokka's son. So I decided to kill off Bato and name him that in his honor:) Come on guys, it's war, so there's got to be deaths. To be fair, I killed off a major bad guy in this chapter.**

**Well, all in all I thought this was an awesome chapter. I was waiting to do this one for a while. I can't believe I wrote it all in one go XD So please review:) I still appreciate all of them, especially now that I hit the 300 mark last chapter! Thanks so much, everyone!**


	35. Power of a Thousand Spirits

**Author's Notes: Wow... this was originally going to be two different chapters, but this one would have been pretty much all action and not much else, until I decided to blend this one... with the last chapter. So here we are, the final chapter (not including the epilogue, of course) but now that we're here, it's kind of sad! This would be my first completed "novel," and I'm glad you all loved it as much as I do, and I'm so happy you've all stayed with me for this long. Thank you.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Duchess192, for being my very first reviewer, and sticking with this story to the end. Thanks for being the first one to review a one-chaptered fic with zero reviews :)**

**Anonymous Review Responses: Hmm, only one. Avatargirl4eva—Eh, sorry you didn't like that. I hope this chapter makes up for it!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.**

**So here we go, the final chapter. Hope you all like it!**

**Book 4: Air**

_Chapter 5: Power of a Thousand Spirits_

"Prince Zuko, wait!"

The former Prince turned around, his broadswords held at his sides, a fire raging all around him. Fallen Fire Nation soldiers lay at his feet. Upon seeing the person addressing him, he smiled genuinely.

"Hello, Uncle," he said. His swords were dropped to the ground with a clatter as Uncle Iroh hugged him. Zuko hadn't seen him since the fall of Ba Sing Se...

"I am so proud of you, Zuko," Iroh said, and by the wetness on his shoulder he knew his Uncle was weeping. Katara, off to the side, left the two of them, a stream of water cutting through the air at any offending soldiers. Zuko was silent. "You have grown into a handsome young man, all on your own..."

"I had my friends." As soon as Zuko said this, Iroh looked up at him, his eyes wide with joy. Zuko couldn't help but notice that he was much taller than his old Uncle now. Iroh pulled away from him.

"You've mastered firebending, set your priorities straight, fought against your father, allied with your sister... You are now the young Prince I've always knew you would be."

"Thank you, Uncle."

"There is no need to say that. You are my son." Tears fought to escape Zuko's eyes, but he forced them down. Now was not the time. "There is ultimate balance in your life now. What will you do with it?"

"I will end this war and defeat Fire Lord Ozai," Zuko said firmly.

"Speaking of that, can we please go?" Katara asked, her arms out and controlling a Fire Nation soldier as he awkwardly swung his sword at his ally. At the same time, Malu was thrown by something, sailing over them.

Zuko nodded to her, finishing off the two soldiers. As he started running after Katara, Iroh grabbed his sleeve. "I am coming, too." Zuko nodded again, and together, Zuko, Iroh, and Katara ran up to the Palace, where they would meet their friends.

* * *

Zuko slid to a stop, coming right up in front of the Palace. Everyone was waiting outside. Since Bumi was no longer here, Iroh would replace him. That was how things were. They were all like pawns in this war, and Aang and Ozai were the Kings.

"What are we doing?" Zuko asked them, just as a catapult fired its projectile, creating a loud explosion on impact somewhere behind them. Just as Ursa was opening her mouth to answer, Aang burst through the doors of the Palace, followed by Toph.

"He's not in there," the young Avatar stated. "He's probably in the Temple again."

"Then let's go!" Ty Lee shouted eagerly.

"No more rematches," Shuang added.

"This is the end!" Jin finished. Some of them cheered triumphantly as they ran to the Palace, Iroh wheezing. By the way some of them were acting, it was as if they'd already won. Within minutes, they came to the huge, layered, and ornate temple, the beautiful marble stonework shining in the sun. Azula, in the lead, pulled the doors opened first.

To those that had already seen it, it looked just the same as when they left. The grand fountain in the middle was still running, and the gaping hole in the ceiling, leading all the way to the top, remained. The hole in the ground, which Aang created, was also still present.

"What if he's not here?" Haru asked them, peering up through the holes as if something would emerge and bite him.

"He has to be," Aang said resolutely.

"We will win this time, we really outnumber him and his Generals," Sokka added, as Azula reached the stairs to climb up. All non-benders had their weapons out and ready. They climbed through the many-tiered building, passing identical chambers as they went. Each looked exactly the same as the others, minus the fountain. When they came to the highest room, all of their hearts were beating in their throats.

Azula pushed open the door, literally jumping into the room and getting into a stance. Zuko, Aang, Toph, and everyone else followed right behind her. They slowly moved around the room, to surround them.

Fire Lady Yasha, General Zin, General Fhuzaz, and Long Feng were there.

And in the middle of them was Fire Lord Ozai, looking almost exactly as he did last time.

"Let's get this over with, father," Azula beckoned, smirking. Ozai stepped in her direction, and spoke, not to her but not taking his eyes off of her.

"Avatar, I knew you would be here. This was where we last fought. I was right," he said, smirking just like Azula. Yasha hefted her great sword, and Fhuzaz drew his katanas. "Hmm... so many new faces. Brother, how nice to see you again."

"And you, Ozai. How are you, Zin?" Iroh asked, trying to make pleasant conversation as always. The other General, Ozai and Iroh's youngest brother, looked grim.

"I am fine. I too want to end this," he said, his long beard straight and perfect. Katara clenched her fists at the sight of him. He, like the others, looked the same, except for the numerous burns on his skin, probably from when Katara left him in the burning courtyard.

"My whole family is here!" Ozai exclaimed, but there was no happiness in his voice. He circled to look at them all, taking in all of their faces, analyzing all their tiny movements. "Brothers Zin and Iroh, my children Zuko and Azula, my wife, Ursa... and her sister, Yasha. What a brilliant family reunion."

"Shut it, Ozai," Zuko said scathingly, his swords sheathed and his hands held out.

"Little Sissy, let's continue our last fight!" Yasha cackled, holding out her gigantic sword with one hand to Ursa. Ursa crossed her own broadswords in front of her, crouching into a stance.

"Gladly." And from there, the fight was on. Ursa and Yasha both flew at each other at once, the younger one dodging backwards as Yasha struck the ground with her sword, causing cracks to web through the ground. Flames flew from Ursa's outstretched fingers, and Yasha dodged, but the fires singed the fur around her neck. While at a glance, Ursa looked gentle and kind, Yasha was the total opposite—beautiful, yet held a dangerous and wild glint in her eye.

Jet sprung at Long Feng, followed by Smellerbee and Longshot. Jet blocked all the earthbender's rocks with his swords, as Smellerbee dodged between them and Longshot stayed out of reach, his arrows flying through the air, only to be blocked by a wall of stone.

"This seems a little unfair, doesn't it?" Long Feng asked, jumping out of the way of Jet's swords.

"Does brainwashing seem fair?" Jet retorted, bringing his weapons up and striking horizontally, just as Smellerbee slashed at the earthbender's robes.

"Toph, bring up the fountain for me!" Katara shouted to the young girl.

"Whatever you say, Sugarqueen," she replied, stomping her feet on the ground and moving her arm as if lifting something huge. The stone fountain, in its entirety, floated up through the gaping hole in the middle of the floor, the water leaking out of the bottom. Katara sealed it up with a bit of ice, and took hold of the water in the fountain as Toph laid it gently on the ground. Now, the waterbenders of the group had weapons to fight with. Katara pulled some of it to her grasp, about to rush at Zin, but Iroh was locked in combat with him, as the two were having a heated conversation. She changed her target to Fhuzaz, who was crossing his swords to ward off Ty Lee's spinning kick.

Shuang and Malu both attacked Ozai with their own elements, but a circle of white flame dispelled both attacks. A blast of red fire threw the both of them away, as if they were petty annoyances. He was not going to waste time on the two of them with white fire.

"A surviving airbender?" he asked of nobody in particular.

"Yeah, there's a ton of us!" Malu shouted bravely to him, from on the ground.

"That won't last too long," the Fire Lord said back to her, white fire growing in his palm for a strong attack. Simultaneous blasts of fire from Zuko and Aang stopped him from attacking the airbender, and Ozai turned to them with amusement. Azula chose to attack him with a fork of lightning, which was mirrored by Aang. Fire Lord Ozai sprung up in the air, unleashing a torrent of white fire below him. A huge slab of stone was put in between them, the white flames licking the sides, slowly melting through it. Toph was to the side, controlling the stone, moving her arms around as if turning something. The slab of stone started spinning, the white fire being thrown off in all directions, and the hunk of melting stone flew up into Ozai, who was just beginning his fall. The firebender grinned, bashing his fists into the stone and letting out a blast of fire. The rock broke clean through, but Ozai's robes were singed and tattered. He ripped them off, revealing a finely-muscled body, and black slacks.

This reminded Zuko all too much of the Agni Kai.

"Zin, why do you fight for Ozai?" Iroh asked his younger brother, dodging his fireballs. "He was never good to you!"

"He was the only one who recognized my potential, and he loved me like a brother should! He _needed _me, once he became Fire Lord!" Zin shouted back, pulling his fist behind him for one strong fire blast. Iroh beat him to it with a horizontal arc of flames, which were jumped over by Zin.

"You are just his tool, like Zuko was, like Azula was, like Yasha and Fhuzaz and Long Feng are... I aided you when we were children, do not forget."

"You did nothing!" The normally calm Zin was now blazing with fury, the fires licking all around him but doing no harm.

"When our father hated you, and rejected you, I was there to help. I was there to comfort you and be your big brother, and Ozai was not," Iroh said calmly. He blocked a blast of flame with his hand. Neither of them were fighting their hardest.

"You were father's favorite! His greatest son, his noble heir!"

"Yes, I may have been his favorite, but I was not treated any better than you were. Ozai was never treated any better, either."

"Then why was he chosen as Fire Lord, in the end?" Zin asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. "It could have been you, you could have ended this war."

"Ozai killed our father," Iroh responded calmly and firmly. "He murdered him the night Ursa disappeared, and claimed the throne as his own."

"You did nothing... you did nothing about it, and now this war has been going on even longer!" Zin was acting like just how Iroh remembered—a scared, frightened child. But deep down, Iroh knew his brother to be brave and compassionate. He hated the death and the destruction just as much as Iroh.

"I was too disturbed over the loss of my own son," he said simply. Zin stopped his barrage of attacks, clenching his fists, biting his lip, staring at the ground and trembling. Iroh pictured the young boy again, too afraid to do something about his true beliefs, too sensible to even open up about them, but intelligent and merciful inside.

"I hate them," Zin said quietly. "I hate father, and Ozai, and grandfather Sozin!"

"Choose, quickly. We need your help," Iroh said. "I am giving you one final chance, a chance to do _good_. Fight with us, as allies of the Avatar. Help us end this century-long war."

"I... hope I made the right decision, brother..." Zin said quietly. The General jumped backwards, unleashing a fire blast that went not to Ozai, but to Iroh. The round man stopped the attack with his own blast of flames.

"This is what you choose?" Iroh asked sadly, sighing. Zin answered with a beam of red fire, and Iroh dodged out of the way. He returned the attack. Now, the two were fighting to kill. Iroh hadn't fought like this for a long time.

* * *

Mai's knives soared through the air, but they were deftly blocked by Fhuzaz's katanas. A blast of fire was sent in her direction, but he was stopped from attacking further by Nodoka's spear. Keioushi and Ty Lee tried attacking him from behind, but the agile fighter jumped away. The five were oblivious to the fights around them.

A jet of water from Katara pushed Fhuzaz off of his feet, and Ty Lee immediately sprang on him, her father. She pummeled him wherever she could reach, but with his feet he kicked out an arc of golden flames that caused her to jump out of the way. Without giving him time to gain balance, she sprung on him again, punching furiously.

"I—hate—you—Dad!" she panted, to the astonished gasp of Keioushi and the light intake of breath from Nodoka. Mai alone remained unresponsive to this, as she bent back, sharp metal flying from her leg holsters. They were imbedded in his sides soon after.

"You don't have to do this, Ty Lee," the girl said to her friend, three knives ready in her hand. "Let us."

"No, I have to!" she said determinedly, but her body still betrayed light trembling. "He's insane."

The ninja-like General bounced up to his feet, his katanas lashing out like snake bites. With top speed, Ty Lee dodged between both attacks, her foot stretching up and kicking his left sword out of his hand. Before he could strike her, she backflipped away.

"I'm sorry, Ty Lee," Katara said, as all of the water left in the fountain rose to her command. It went barreling after Fhuzaz, who could not avoid it. He was thrown against the stone walls of the Temple, landing in a sitting position. His eyes were closed as the torrent of water held him there. Nobody moved.

"Finish me," Fhuzaz rasped. "I want to die honorably. You must be the one, my daughter."

"I..."

"I will do it. Ty Lee, look away," Nodoka said, stepping up to the man, his spear pointed out at him.

"No!" she yelled, running up behind the warrior. "He's right. I have to do this." Steeling herself, she stepped in front of the General, her father, her eyes closed. She was struggling not to cry. "You were a horrible old man!" she suddenly yelled, her eyes popping open. She failed—tears were streaming down them freely. "I hated you! I ran away because of you!"

Fhuzaz did nothing.

"When Mom died... you were all I had left," she said, more quietly this time. "I... Then you became cold, heartless... You continued to slaughter enemy soldiers... you're in the middle of all of this madness!"

"Do it, now," he commanded, looking right up at her. His dark eyes met hers, and she forced herself not to look away. "You are brave."

That did it. Ty Lee was trained to know all of the pressure points in the human body; she was a crippling machine. She knew places to make only one finger useless.

She also knew the places that would inflict death. Instant, painless death.

And with both hands, she struck her father in that place—the temple of the head. His head slumped to the side immediately. As soon as it was over, Ty Lee's legs felt like jelly. She fell to her knees, crying hysterically. It was her first, real kill, the moment she was trained for, the moment she was supposed to be proud of. And it was her father—the one who taught her that notion as a child. She cried in the irony of it all.

Keioushi and Mai ran up to her, the former dropping down next to her. The acrobat cried into his shoulder as Mai stood next to them.

"Ty Lee, we have to go. They need our help. We must end the madness. Come on, we will be able to rest later," Mai said, her countenance betraying the hint of a smile. Ty Lee nearly laughed now, but she nodded to Keioushi and stood up.

Wiping her tears, she said, "You're right. Let's go."

* * *

Toph, Haru, and Jet were locked in relentless combat with Long Feng. Toph could easily beat him in a one-on-one match, if she had to, but the head of the Dai Li was using clever trickery to fight. He would try to deceive them with one attack, but while they were distracted he'd hit them with an equally powerful attack. One time, he suddenly appeared next to Song and held a hidden dagger up to her throat. He didn't count on the seemingly fragile girl to be able to get out, but she had a knife strapped to her boot, which was quickly pulled out to stab Long Feng in the gut. Now wounded, the earthbender had few options left.

"Hmm, I did not think you'd be able to overpower me," he said as they backed him into a corner. Toph, Haru, Jet, Song, and Kei surrounded him.

"I'm done fighting you. Let's get this over with," Toph said boldly, as a slanted wall shot out at the man. She was satisfied when she heard a gut-wrenching crunch, signifying that she hit him. As he was soaring through the air, straight into the far wall, Malu jumped from Toph's newly-erected wall, swinging her staff at the flying earthbender. A powerful arc of wind propelled him even faster with surprising force, causing him to crash right through the stone wall, all thanks to Malu, who just recovered from Ozai's previous attack and joined the fight.

"Now that that's over with, let's help everyone else!" she said upon landing, blowing her loose hair out of her face.

There was no way Long Feng could survive two consecutive attacks as powerful as that, crashing through the wall, _and _the long fall. It was simply impossible. Long Feng was dead.

Toph grunted as the others ran to help their friends. "I wanted the final blow, airhead," she said, sticking out her tongue at the airbender.

* * *

The two sisters continued to fight, now aided by Haru, Jin, Sokka, and Suki. Yasha jumped above the earthbender's attacks, just as Jin struck out at her with her sword. Yasha blocked the blow with her own powerful weapon. Two whips of flame coalesced into Ursa's hands, which were swung at her sister. The manic woman used her great sword to block the blow, as the whips wrapped around her weapon. Yasha grinned like a demon.

"Face it, sister. I've always been the best, and even with the help from these children you still can't win!" she gloated.

Ursa smirked. "My attack's not done yet, Yasha." Suddenly, she pulled on her two whips, which were still wrapped around her sister's weapon. The great sword went flying out of her hands, landing on the other side of the room. Yasha snarled, rushing at her with flames flying from her hands. Her uncontrolled attacks were barely blocked by Haru, Jin, Sokka, and Suki, and right before reaching her Yasha let out a pillar of fire that was just blasted away by Ursa. The older sister jumped up, just as Ursa protected herself from the fire pillar, and all she could do to defend herself from her flying sister, holding a fireball, was to unsheathe her swords again. They were crossed right in front of her, with Yasha practically standing on them. In a split second, the older firebender jumped back, but not before Ursa could slash at her with her identical broadswords.

One made a deep gash in her stomach, the other in her face. As Yasha landed she grunted in pain, standing unbalanced with a hand to her gut in an attempt to stem the bleeding. Shockingly scarlet blood streamed down her face.

"Do you think a little cut is going to stop me?" she cried, and an evil smirk and a manic gleam entered her face, and Ursa was petrified with fear at what she knew her sister was going to do. A fireball came from the hand held to her stomach.

Yasha shrieked in pain, staggering backwards. Cauterizing her wound did not work, however, and she simply fell to the ground, an anguished expression on her face. But at the same time, it was oddly triumphant. Ursa dropped her swords.

"She... she couldn't take the pain," she whimpered, holding a bloody hand near her face. "It... killed her." An ear-splitting crack echoed around the room, as a result from a ferocious earthbending attack from Aang—his titanic struggle with the Fire Lord was still going on. "You, earthbender!" she beckoned to Haru, not knowing his name. At the moment, she was so shocked she didn't care if she was rude. "Protect my sister's body from harm, cover her with a blanket of hard earth..." Haru nodded, erecting a small tent over the firebender. That done, they all headed to the fight with Ozai. Ursa stayed for another moment. "Goodbye, sister."

* * *

Aang jumped up high after a blast of white fire from Ozai, avoiding the attack. All around the Fire Lord was molten stone; he was destroying all of the beautiful stonework with his attacks. All of his friends, defeating the Generals, turned on Ozai. Iroh completed his battle with Zin, making it the shortest battle of them all. All of the fighters circled around Ozai.

"Now that all of my Generals are gone, I have nothing to lose," the Fire Lord rumbled deeply. "I could destroy you all with one single powerful attack." Zuko held his broadswords ready in a crouching position, panting, while Azula looked bruised and burned beside him. Panic rose through them all, and Aang instinctively thought, _The Avatar State..._

But he couldn't. In killing Roku, he could not use his most powerful weapon anymore.

"_If you leave now, you will never be able to go into the Avatar State again!" _Guru Pathik's voice reverberated through his head. But he was able to use it after that! What if Roku was wrong, too? It was unlikely, but something told him to try it... It was a presence he recognized as Avatar Kyoshi...

Aang spun quickly, dispersing into air and floating up high above them. He latched onto a pillar with earthbending when his body coalesced. Surprisingly, the power of the Avatar flowed through him easily... _Yes! _It was working!

A beacon of light shone throughout the chamber, lighting it up in a pure white glow. But Aang didn't feel any different. Usually the Avatar State brought on a surge of overwhelming power into his veins... He looked down at his hands. His arrows weren't glowing. That meant his eyes weren't either. Panic flooded through him. He really couldn't!

Suddenly, he felt it brimming within him, inflating at a rapid rate. His body straightened abruptly, as his eyes and arrows glowed. But in moments he felt his power rate decreasing... It felt like he was deflating! He fought to keep it all inside him, it was so hard, such a powerful force...

_Let us out._

_Huh? _he thought, confused.

_Hurry! Release us!_

And Aang did, feeling the comforting feeling of weightlessness as the power washed out of him, as the glow in his eyes and arrows gradually died out as blue-tinted lights came out of them. When he felt it was all gone, he opened his eyes, gaining his normal vision back. Upon doing so, his eyes widened in shock.

There were spirits, thousands of them, all flying off in different directions. Some converged on Ozai, bringing up shattering quakes, others shook the Temple, others flew outside... They each had a transparent blue color to them. He felt power radiating from the beings above him. Suddenly, one of them, simply floating there, turned to look at Aang. He recognized her as a Kyoshi Warrior, but she was tall and familiar...

"Avatar Kyoshi!" he shouted upon realization. As he said this, he recognized a few others. Avatar Kuruk of the Water Tribes was there, as well as Avatar Yangchen, the airbender-Avatar before him.

_We are yours to command, Aang_, Avatar Kyoshi said into his mind. Aang nodded.

_Help us! _Aang thought, which was the first thing that came to his head.

Kyoshi immediately joined the earthbenders, as hundreds of spirits returned from outside with unbelievable torrents of water. The airbenders whipped up the fiercest tornados, and the firebenders shot magma into the air from volcanoes surrounding the Temple. Aang realized who they were. These people were all of his past lives... the Avatars. He had the power of a thousand spirits behind him.

A fan of glowing magma suddenly burst through the temple, but miraculously none of it seemed to hurt Aang or his friends. The Temple was shaking in its foundations as Ozai tried to run from the maelstrom of Avatar-level attacks. A beam of white fire from a central mass of Avatars burst through the floor, completely decimating the beautifully mosaic floor. They missed Ozai by inches.

"We have to get out of here!" Katara yelled over the roars of the battle. The others answered to her call without a second thought, herding themselves over to any exit to the crumbling Temple. Over the Avatar-induced rainstorm, Ozai hastily grabbed Zuko's arms as the Fire Prince attempted to escape the wrath of the Avatars.

"I am proud of you, Zuko! Leave, now! I will most certainly die here—you are the new Fire Lord!" Forks of lightning tried striking at Ozai, but he returned the attack with an arc of white flame. "Promise me that you will fix the world, it was too late for me!"

Zuko said nothing, trying to pull away. He tried sending a blast of flame at the Fire Lord, but it was deftly blocked. Ice shards were now falling from the sky, all intent on impaling Ozai.

"Listen to me!" he shouted, shaking Zuko. "You are my capable son. Promise me!"

"I—promise," Zuko staggered out, and at that moment Ozai let him go. With one last look at his father, Zuko ran down the stairs, following his friends. There did not seem to be any safe place in the world with these kinds of attacks ravaging the Fire Temple.

A fiery circle erupted around Ozai, and his scream pierced their ears. A sphere of white fire blazed around him, but it did nothing to stave off the attacks of the thousand Avatars. His body dissolved away in seconds. Fire Lord Ozai was never seen again.

Now that their target was totally obliterated in the furious onslaught, all of the spirits dissolved away.

Except for one.

_I need to speak with you. Come to Crescent Island later_, Avatar Kyoshi's voice said into his head. And then she was gone.

One final beacon of light broke through the sky, and the Temple simply couldn't take anymore damage. It crumbled to the ground, burning and cracking.

Aang and the others, now out of the Temple, made their way over to the crevice, in order to look down at the city. There was still the war to fight, but nobody had any of the energy to do anymore fighting...

"That...was kind of awesome," Toph stated simply, as they crawled up to the crevice. "...I guess... it's over."

Toph's statement seemed to make it real for Aang. That was it. It was over... But why did he feel so empty? Was it because he finally fulfilled all of his duties? He never really planned what he would do after defeating Ozai... but it was done. All he used to do before was fantasize.

But there would be time for that later.

As the elation rose in him upon finally realizing that, the Avatar burst out laughing. He felt free, truly and utterly _free_. He was no longer bound by any major duties... nothing that he couldn't handle with the help of his friends.

And they all started laughing too. Azula, Zuko, Jet, and even Nodoka and Longshot burst out laughing, reveling in the joy. Not one of them, Ursa and Iroh included, realized it when they reached the edge of the cliff and looked down at Sozin City.

As soon as they were there, a thunderous cheer resounded, the waves and waves of people clapping their hands and shouting at the top of their lungs. They all saw the beacon of light—the beacon of victory. Everyone was cheering for the Avatar and his loyal friends. Zuko stepped forward to get a better look, and as soon as he came within sight the whole population fell to the ground on their knees. And one person yelled something unintelligible. And then another, and soon they were all chanting it.

"Long live Zuko! LONG LIVE FIRE LORD ZUKO!" they screamed, and at that moment, Appa, Momo, Bahamut, and Yanna all soared up to them, and the Avatar Gang jumped on their backs, riding down to the people. They cheered and screamed some more. Someone, probably Chey and Dizi, sent up fireworks, lighting up the dusky sky with multicolored lights. When they met the throng of people, everyone reached out to them, hailing the group as heroes. Little did they know, they all became the greatest heroes the world has ever known.

Aang kept up the smiles, watching people as they hugged each other in tears. Firebenders and earthbenders and waterbenders and the few airbenders all joined together, not caring about any bending differences. All that mattered to them was that the war was over. They would be returning home to their families. There would be no more death and destruction for a long time.

Someone procured foods and drinks, and instruments and more lights, and they all began partying. Everybody seemed intent on touching Momo, trying to pet his fur, or riding on one of the two bison. Bahamut alone was given peace for a few minutes, until people realized he was a friendly dragon and clambered all over him too. Some tried entertaining each other with their various bending skills. Chey and Dizi continued to let off fireworks. The kappas edged through everyone, cheering along with the others, getting a little tipsy and recklessly daring and mischievous. But nobody cared, too absorbed into their revelry.

Katara seemed to be surrounded by cheering male fans. Most were afraid of Azula, too, at first, until she happily started dancing and singing with them. Zuko, Haru, Nodoka, Keioushi, Shuang, Sokka, and Jet all somehow got stuck with knots of excited young girls. Kei and Song shared their first kiss, to the raucous cheering of the people around them. Ty Lee was flipping around the partygoers, awing many of them as she performed dangerous stunts. Jin seemed shy around them all at first, but she quickly opened up and got as cheerful as everyone else. Nobody noticed that they were bloodstained and exhausted. As a matter of fact, neither did the fighters. Everyone was wounded in some way. But the soldiers shed their uniforms and drank together as one single group of people.

Aang soon became tired of the partying as it extended well into the night. There was not a single street, a single building, or a single pond where he could get some time alone to think. At last, he decided, he was going to leave, and head to Crescent Island like Kyoshi told him to.

With some difficulty, he found Momo and Appa, and alone, the three of them flew through the night skies.

"I want it to be just the three of us while we do this. It seems... appropriate," he said. Appa grunted in agreement. Momo chattered around on his head, endlessly speaking lemur-speech. Aang smiled, enjoying the speed that Appa flew at.

With Appa's fast flying, they were able to get to the empty island in less than two hours. The ruins of Avatar Roku's temple were no longer there, probably burned by the volcanic eruptions. It was peaceful and quiet—just like what he needed. Aang glided up to where he knew the Temple used to stand, and started meditating. Going into the "Avatar State" at a place like this didn't bring on his powers—it simply let him through the portal to the Spirit World.

With a pang of sadness, Aang opened his eyes and saw a cloud-filled expanse, with mountains in the distance. This was where he first met Roku. Only this time, Kyoshi was there.

"We are so proud of you, Aang," she said in greeting. "You've accomplished tasks none of us have done before. It is believed among us that you are the most powerful Avatar there ever was."

"Thank you," Aang said, his head bowed in respect. Kyoshi smiled. "One thing, though... did you know... about Avatar Roku?"

The Spirit World seemed to darken. "Yes, we knew," she said deeply. "But we could do nothing about it. We were forbidden to tell you. Roku, being the latest Avatar, held us much like slaves."

Aang nodded. "It's okay. He's gone now," he said simply. He tried not to think about it. "But... now what?"

"Like I've said, you've done things far greater than any other Avatar in the past. With Roku's death, you were severed from the chain of Avatars. He was right. You will never be able to use the Avatar State."

"But... what was that giant attack from before?" he asked her.

"You are now the first and the last Avatar," she stated. "You were cut off from the rest of us, so you may no longer channel our powers. Instead, you will act as more of a summoner now. Our spirits are at your beck and call. Every time you try to enter the Avatar State, that will happen instead."

"It feels like I'm using you as slaves then, just like Roku did," Aang said sadly. "I don't want it to be like that."

"You are using our powers for different intentions, and we will come at our own free will," Kyoshi explained.

"You said I was 'the first and the last Avatar.' What do you mean?"

"You are severed from the chain of previous Avatars. But now, your own chain will continue, and you will be first in another long line of Avatars. They will be able to use your powers in the Avatar State, and our own when they summon us. Any Avatar after you will have the power to choose both," she clarified.

Aang's eyes widened. All Avatars after him would have so much power...

"Go, Aang, and rest in peace. You have to restore this world now, and with the death of the Fire Lord this will be simple for you. Start the Avatar chain anew."

"Thank you, Avatar Kyoshi," Aang said, bowing. The woman smiled, and slowly faded away.

* * *

The man opened his eyes, and immediately he felt a huge onslaught of pain. He was covered in burns, bruises, and blood. It was miraculous that he was still alive. Without his earthbending, he would be dead.

He remembered the attacks of the children against him, the master benders, the fighters with prodigious skill. The blind girl hit him with a wall of rock, and the airbender sent him flying through the wall... Not to mention the fragile-looking girl he underestimated. Yes, they would all be dealt with soon. When the airbender sent him into the wall, he broke through it himself with a quick bit of earthbending, and using some of the rubble from it, he latched onto it and floated gently down to the ground. They must have all thought he was dead.

No, Long Feng was very much alive. He was wounded, but he began working on plans even as he hopped through the empty mountains, heading for a place to heal his wounds.

* * *

Aang's eyes snapped open again in the natural world, and he was back in the same place he was before he left. He watched the lava flow down the volcanoes of Crescent Island, the waves lapping against the shore, the stars twinkling in the night sky, and he smiled to himself. Everything seemed so real, so magnificent and safe and wonderful.

He had a lot of work ahead of him, and he was excited to do it.

* * *

**Author's Note: This feels kind of rushed, I think. Gahh, this chapter was hard. Okay, I'm going to try this again. I am putting up the epilogue right after this. You **_**must **_**review this chapter before going on to the epilogue! Please:)**

**I'm uploading them both at once, so once you review, go on to the next chapter...**


	36. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"We began looking to the future. As you know, Fire Lord Zuko brought peace to the world. It was a happy ending for all of us."

"Wow..." one of the children said, clearly in awe. Most of them were getting sleepy, leaning on each other or lying down, resting their heads on their palms.

"What happened to everyone?" a little girl asked. It was her great-granddaughter.

"You all know that," Katara said simply. She was tired, and ready to go to bed. It was a long night. The children wanted to hear stories. Some of them groaned.

"Gran-Gran! Come on, you promised!" Katara smiled at the name. She called her own grandmother that. It felt nice to come from her great-granddaughter.

"I'm sorry, little Cina. Maybe tomorrow I'll finish the story. It is time for bed now."

The children were too tired to protest. They slowly got up and left her home, bidding the waterbending master good night. Katara made her bed, thinking about her long, joyful life.

A few years after the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai, Zuko and Katara married. Of course, she had to move into Sozin City with her husband, where he could rule. She enjoyed being Fire Lady Katara. It had a nice ring to it. The couple had four beautiful children, two sons and two daughters. The oldest son, which Zuko named Azulon, was the current Fire Lord. The two of them raised him proudly, and he became a good man. He also ruled the Fire Nation with peace. The two sons were master firebenders, while their daughters became excellent waterbender warriors. Their sons stayed in the Fire Nation when they were older, while her two waterbending daughters married rich, strong, and supportive men. Cina was the fifth granddaughter of Katara's fourth.

Two years ago, Fire Lord Zuko passed away. It was simply old age. After he died, Katara returned to her Southern Water Tribe home, which was now a huge, beautiful city. The little huts Katara grew up in were in the past now. When she returned, Katara trained the city's children in the waterbending arts.

Aang and Toph married shortly after Zuko and Katara did. It was a simple wedding, but afterwards, the two didn't want to settle down. At first, Aang switched between helping Zuko with angry people who opposed the throne, and restoring the Air Nomads. He and Toph were successful, even restoring the air bison species to huge numbers. The Air Nomads expanded, stretching to all corners of the world. They also made fairly large villages, and they were growing to this day.

The couple had three attractive daughters. The oldest was an airbender, and the second, surprisingly, could not bend at all. His youngest daughter became a fine earthbender. Toph couldn't have been prouder. The three girls grew up to become great leaders in the world, holding high status in the Earth Kingdom government or the Air Nomad villages. Eventually, Aang and Toph settled down in Ba Sing Se, until the creation of Heng.

Sokka remained happy with Suki throughout his life. They had a single son, which turned out to be a waterbender, to Sokka's dismay. Still, he raised the child with love and care, turning him into a powerful warrior and bender. Sokka became the Southern Water Tribe Chief when Hakoda died, and his son followed in his footsteps when Sokka became too old.

Suki even trained the Southern women in the ways of the Kyoshi Warriors, extending the art to all corners of the world. She lived with Sokka in the Southern Water Tribe city, but she also traveled around often, teaching people the ancient warrior's arts. Sokka and Suki lived long, wonderful lives.

A few years later, Sokka and Suki had another child together—a baby girl. To his shock, she was born with white hair. The next night, as Sokka usually did, he spoke to Yue, the moon spirit. She came down to him, and explained how part of her was reborn again, into Sokka's daughter. "Love her," she said. "She will be a beautiful daughter." And she was. The girl, who he named Yue, turned out to be a very powerful waterbender.

Jet and Azula, well, their life was definitely interesting. The two fought often, and their love was stranger than any other. They had a son and a daughter, twins, a firebender and earthbender, respectively. Jet, ironically, had a high position in the Fire Nation government. Azula kept her title as the Fire Nation princess, but now everyone loved her. She was considered the most beautiful woman in the Fire Nation, with Katara. Jet often got into fights with men for these reasons. None of these stopped the two of them from living life to its fullest.

Mai and Nodoka eventually moved to Omashu, where they used Mai's money to get noble status there. Nodoka started up a warrior's school, bringing more money into their coffers. They became the richest family in the Earth Kingdom. Unfortunately, their oldest son was elected King of Omashu, but that was not the bad part. Some of the people thought that the two bribed the government into letting their son become ruler of the city. This was not the case, and their son became a just and excellent ruler. Mai and Nodoka had many children, and with them around, Mai was never bored anymore.

Keioushi and Ty Lee never settled down. The bubbly girl started up her own circus, and that kept them too busy for any children, not that Ty Lee wanted them anyway. The two of them became a couple reputably famous for their excellent performances. The two of them couldn't have been happier.

Haru and Malu's first son became leader of the Air Nomads. Together, with Aang, Toph, and his mother and father, they made the Air Nomads into a prospering government. For his work, their son, Biao, an airbender, became something called a High Priest of the Air Theocracy. He was elected by the people, and this system worked perfectly. Haru and Malu settled down in the Air Theocracy's capital, Akikaze, the autumn breeze.

The "Air Theocracy" was what the Air Nation became referred to. The old monks were brought back, and the Air Nomads became a peaceful, religious Nation. They all believed in the four elemental Gods, or Higher Spirits. Biao was their leader, and he worked from Akikaze, the capital, which was located in the northeastern part of the Earth Kingdom—new lands given to the Theocracy by Earth King Kuei, before he died. The world was slowly being balanced again, with all four types of benders in healthy supply.

Longshot and Smellerbee never married. Their relationship worked out, but they were never ready for marriage—but they did have a child. Together, the three journeyed around the world for a while, quelling small uprisings or keeping order in towns. They became known as workers for peace, and everyone looked to them for help, almost as much as the Avatar himself.

Shuang and Jin moved back to the Northern Water Tribe, where they had two children—the girl was a waterbender, and Jin's Earth Kingdom heritage shone through on the boy, who was an earthbender. Shuang trained both male and female waterbenders, while Jin stood by his side in helping him. The two lovers lived out their life here, in complete happiness. Their daughter became the very first Northern Water Tribe Chieftainess, and since Kuei left no descendants, their son became King of Ba Sing Se.

Kei and Song returned to the Earth Kingdom, where Song's mother was sick. They cared for her for a little while until she passed away. Afterwards, Song wanted to leave her home, and the two moved to Sozin City, where they became closer with Zuko, Katara, Jet, and Azula. They married there, and soon after had a son and a daughter. Kei trained them both to be powerful warriors, and their daughter learned from her mother. When they were older, they both became Generals in the Fire Nation army—used only for defense.

As a result, peace reigned throughout the world.

This led to new discoveries in technology and science. One of the first and best inventions was the steam train. The Earth and Fire Nations worked together, using the old Ba Sing Se idea of a train, while adding on Fire Nation technology. With these new trains, travel and communication was much easier. Also, Aang started to make toys of all kinds for children all around the world. He became loved even more by _everybody _for that.

Also, the full GAang got back together to help clear out all of the Air Temples, restoring them and using them for research purposes. The people living in the Northern Air Temple started up a village, in the Air Theocracy, which took the northeastern side of the Earth Kingdom as their own. Kuei gladly gave the land up to them years before he died, wanting to do his part to restore the Air people. The Air Theocracy sprouted around these lands.

In their excavations and researching of the history of the Air Nomads, Aang learned so much more of past Avatars and his ancient people. He eventually set up the very first museum in the Southern Air Temple, before deciding to go out and restore _all _the other elemental Temples around the world. He even had Avatar Roku's temple on Crescent Island rebuilt.

After the war, Jihen was renamed "Heng." It became a prosperous, neutral city of all Nations. Fire, Water, Air, and Earth all made this huge city their home. It was a city of balance, and it showed that all Nations could live together in perfect harmony. It was designed with all Nations in mind, using a bit of all of their home cities. After the city was rebuilt and renamed, they chose Aang as their leader. Now Aang, a middle-aged man, moved from Ba Sing Se to Heng, ruling the city with peace, and most importantly, fun. Eventually, the people decided the city would only be ruled by the Avatar for ages to come.

_Ah, I forgot about Iroh and everyone else! _Katara thought, cursing her slowly-going memory.

Uncle Iroh died a happy man, well after Zuko established his leadership over the Fire Nation. He also died of natural causes, but before he went, he left his wisdom for years to come. He became one of the most respected people in the world. People even used some of his proverbs today. Also, as soon as things settled down, he finally got his life's dream—the Jasmine Dragon II. His tea shop was based in Sozin City, inviting anyone to come and have a cup of tea.

Ursa helped Zuko and Katara rule for a while, eventually settling down with, surprisingly, Master Qi Yi, leader of the Jihen Rebels. They lived together in Heng for the rest of their lives.

"Everything I've done I've done for you, Zuko. Now, the world is in your hands," were her last words. The woman died old and happy, much like how Iroh went.

The Guru stayed in the Eastern Air Temple for a while, revealing to Aang that he himself was an airbender. That explained how he knew Monk Gyatso, so Aang wasn't totally surprised. After saying this though, he mysteriously disappeared. Nobody ever saw him again, except for important spiritual happenings.

Hakoda returned to the Southern Water Tribe at the war's end, taking his rightful role as the village Chief. During his rule, the village slowly evolved into a city, with the Northern Water Tribe's help. When he passed, Sokka took over as the Southern Water Tribe Chief.

As she lay in bed, Katara thought about a curious little girl living in the Southern Water Tribe city. She was born a mere week after Aang died, and Katara could have sworn she'd seen a little bit of Aang in her. At three years old, she soon showed that she was a waterbender, and a good one at that. Katara was known as one of the elders in the city, and after some discussion and a few tests, they realized that this little girl was the next Avatar. This time, since there was no war, they wouldn't tell her until she was sixteen years of age.

Katara sighed sadly as she reflected on her old life. She outlived all of her friends, with the exception of Mai. The two women were the only ones left. The first of the heroes to pass was Keioushi. Ty Lee was after him, and they suspected that she went because of sadness. Still, the two lived very long lives.

Now, Katara was ninety-three years old. It was an incredibly long lifetime for any person to live, and Katara was now just very tired. It was soon going to be time for the world to be left to the future generations, and Katara couldn't wait to be able to watch it all happen from the Spirit World. Not that she wanted to pass. Her whole life just felt like a very long day, and she just needed some rest.

Through all of the struggles...

_Aang slowly rose into the air, glowing with otherworldly power, until he was struck down by a lightning bolt..._

And the despair...

_Bumi lay dead in the crypts of Omashu, with tears sliding down everyone's faces..._

War...

_Arcs of wind, fire, and water fly through the air, smashing Fire Navy ships..._

And love...

_Zuko and Katara, sharing their second kiss flying through the night sky..._

They were the victors. They had prevailed. Their lifetime struggle... had ended.

_Flashes of memory went through Katara's head... a fireball soaring towards her... Aang lay dead in her arms... Sokka, holding his boomerang triumphantly... Wide eyes reflecting fear and fire... Zuko, his face nearing her own..._

They left the world to the next generation. They were no longer needed to support it. The world was stable, balanced, just like it used to be. For once, everything in the world was just right.

* * *

**THE END

* * *

**

**Author's Note: Okay, it's time for a very long A/N.**

**First off, I'd like to thank you all for staying with me for this whole journey. It's been fun and just... so great. You've all been amazing. I'm mostly at a loss for words.**

**Also, the sequel will take place about a year after the events of this story. It'll have a new plot where I will tie up loose ends –cough, cough—Long Feng—cough, cough— And more!**

**In the sequel, I will focus a lot more on character development, interactions, and romance. Like I said, we'll see more of my OC's and characters I've ignored. I'll do this by splitting them up into groups, much like I did before the Omashu battle. But instead, they'll be like that for the majority of the story. I have some questions for you guys, too.**

**In your opinion, who is your favorite OC? (This includes Malu)**

**Out of all of the characters, who do you think was the most characterized or went through the most development?**

**What's your favorite pairing? (The main ones don't count—That includes Zutara, Taang, Sukka, and Jetzula)**

**Who was the saddest character death:)**

**Who was your favorite villain?**

**Also, sorry if you don't like the idea for an "Air Theocracy." It was either that or a Republic, and I don't think they had those in their time period.**

**Anyway, please, please review, tell me your opinions, and if you didn't review last chapter tell me about that too! Sequel should be up whenever I finish the first five chapters and outline the whole story.**


	37. A World Divided IS HERE!

**Author's Note: Sequel to 'Power of a Thousand Spirits' is now up! It is called 'A World Divided,' and it can be found in my profile. Please read and review :)**

**Everything else that needs to be said can be found in the beginning author's note for that story. Yes, I know I'm posting this about a day after I put up the story, but since there are many more people that have me on story alert instead of author alert won't know about the sequel yet, I decided to put this little bit in. I dunno, I'm trying to help you guys :)**


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